There are no survivors after a plane carrying 62 people crashed in a residential area in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday.
The airline VoePass confirmed in a statement that a plane headed for Sao Paulo’s international airport Guarulhos crashed in a residential area of Vinhedo. The statement did not specify what caused the accident. Local officials said that all people on board were killed in the crash. The ATR-72 plane, carrying 58 passengers and 4 crew members, was en route from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, the G1 website said, citing Voepass. Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be the ATR-made plane spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke.
Brazilian TV network GloboNews showed footage of a large area on fire, with smoke coming out of an apparent plane fuselage, in a residential area. Additional footage broadcast by GloboNews showed a plane drifting downward vertically, spiraling as it fell. At an event in southern Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked the crowd to stand and observe a minute of silence as he shared the news of the accident. Sao Paulo’s state fire brigade confirmed on social media that a plane had crashed in Vinhedo, adding that it has sent seven crews to the site of the crash.
Military police and the civil defense authority have also dispatched teams to the site of the crash. City officials at Valinhos, near Vinhedo, said only one home in the local condominium complex had been damaged while none of the residents were hurt. “I have to be the bearer of really bad news,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaking at an event shortly after the crash. He asked for a minute of silence for the victims of the crash. Airline Voepass said the plane, which had taken off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, bound for Sao Paulo’s main international airport, crashed in the town of Vinhedo, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo. The unlisted airline said it could not provide further information on what caused the plane, which had a PS-VPB registration, to crash. Just minutes after the apparent accident, Sao Paulo’s state fire brigade said it was rushing seven crews to the scene of the crash. The aircraft was listed by flight tracker FlightRadar24 as an ATR 72-500 turboprop. ATR is jointly owned by Airbus and Italian aerospace group Leonardo.