Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said it appeared that all passengers and crew on board died.
A passenger plane with 62 people on board has crashed in a fiery wreck in Brazil’s São Paulo state, and the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said that it appeared that all passengers and crew aboard had died.
Speaking at an event in southern Brazil on Friday afternoon, Lula called for a minute of silence for those lost in the crash, without elaborating on the source of his information.
The ATR-72 plane operated by airline Voepass Linhas Aéreas was en route from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, to Guarulhos, in São Paulo, when it crashed on Friday afternoon. Voepass said 58 passengers and four crew members were on board.
São Paulo’s fire brigade confirmed on social media that a plane crashed in the city of Vinhedo – 76 kilometers away from the state’s capital –, and that it has sent seven crews to the region of the accident.
According to the Flight Radar website, the plane was traveling at 17,000 feet before plunging 4,000 feet in two minutes, and then its GPS signal was lost.
Video shared on social media showed the plane spiraling out of control as it plunged down into a cluster of trees, followed by a large plume of black smoke.
Another clip showed flames and smoke coming from the plane fuselage where it had apparently plowed into the side of a house. Burning debris and at least one body could be seen strewn across the gardens of a residential area, while emergency vehicles arrived.
Ana Lúcia de Lima, who lives nearby, told the UOL news website that the noise was so loud it “sounded like it was falling into my house… The first blast was strong, there was already dark smoke coming out, and then there were several more explosions.”
The Brazilian Air Force reported that it has sent a team of investigators to the site.
More details soon…