Watch: Chapecoense defender Alan Ruschel takes first steps after surviving tragic plane crash

Alan Ruschel, the 27-year-old defender, was the first survivor to be rescued. Photo / Twitter

One of the Chapecoense players pulled from the wreckage of the air disaster which killed 19 of his team-mates has taken his first steps on the road to recovery.

Alan Ruschel, the 27-year-old defender, was the first survivor to be rescued from the mountainside crash site in Colombia and suffered multiple fractures.

Ruschel has since been transferred to the Somer Clinic, one of the best hospitals in Rionegra, Colombia, and is making steady progress.

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And the Brazilian footballer is already walking again, in what will be a great news to the fans who are still grieving deeply for the 71 victims who lost their lives last week.

The player recorded a video message in which he appears walking with the help of orthopaedic doctor Marcos Andre Sonagli and can be seen giving the thumbs up for the camera.

He said: 'I would like to tell you that I am recovering very well, I will soon come back to Brazil to finish my recovery.

'I would like to thank all of you, for the support given and by the vows of affection that I also received, I just wanted to thank everyone, thank you very much.'

Sonagli added: 'He's well, conscious and has not suffered a spinal cord injury... he has even walked.'

Ruschel has made huge strides in his road to recovery after his 24-year-old fiancee revealed last week how 'he only communicates with gestures at the moment'.

Marina Storchi also told MailOnline how she screamed and willed Ruschel to live after she discovered he had been pulled alive from the wreckage of the LAMIA airlines jet which struck a Colombian mountain.

The former beauty queen - who flew with her father-in-law, Flavio Ruschel, to her partner's side last Thursday - spoke from the hospital.

She said: 'He only communicates with gestures at the moment. He is able to move his legs when I talk to him, which the doctor's say is an absolutely huge improvement. The wonderful medical staff also said he is out a danger. I am ecstatic that he has come so far so quickly.

'When I first arrived, he was unconscious for most of the time. But now he is beginning to stay awake a little longer. He can't talk just yet because he has a lot of tubes inserted which are helping him breath as he is on a ventilation machine, but he has opened his eyes and even managed to give me a smile.'

A total of 71 people lost their lives when the British-made Avro RJ85 aircraft came down en route to Medellin, where Brazilian side Chapecoense were due to play in the Copa Sudamericana final.