- 61 dead after plane crash in residential area
An airplane carrying 61 people crashed into a residential area of the city of Vinhedo in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. None of the passengers survived the crash on Friday afternoon (local time), the city administration told the German Press Agency. According to the airline VoePass, there were 57 passengers and four crew members on board. Initially, the airline stated there were 58 passengers, which they later corrected.
The plane was traveling from the city of Cascavel in the state of Paraná to Guarulhos in São Paulo. São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport is the largest airport in Brazil. Around 19 months ago, the same type of aircraft crashed in Nepal, killing dozens of people.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked attendees at an event in the south of the country to observe a minute of silence. "A very sad news. My deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims," Lula posted on the X platform.
The news portal "G1" reported, citing authorities in Vinhedo, that the plane crashed near a house in a residential area, but no one on the ground was injured.
A resident who recorded a video of the burning plane told the TV station UOL: "I've never heard a noise like that in my life."
Firefighters are on the scene with rescue teams. Hospitals in Vinhedo are on standby. In addition to the firefighters, the civil defense and police are also involved, "G1" reported.
Images and videos on social media show a plane spiraling out of control and falling from the sky, with thick smoke rising afterwards. Data from the Flightradar 24 platform suggests that the plane dropped nearly 4,000 meters in less than a minute.
The governor of São Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas, said: "My solidarity goes out to all the victims and those affected by this tragedy." He promised all necessary support.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The airline VoePass said in a first Instagram post that nothing could be said about the cause of the crash. The federal police have launched an investigation into the accident. According to "G1", the police have set up a kind of crisis center in the home of a resident of the closed residential area where the tragedy occurred.
The accident is one of the deadliest in the history of Brazilian aviation, according to the news portal UOL.
Many may recall the crash on November 28, 2016, when the plane of the Brazilian football club Chapecoense crashed on its way to Medellín for the Copa Sudamericana final in Colombia. 71 people died, including almost all the players, as well as coaches, trainers, and accompanying journalists. Six passengers survived.
The plane that crashed on Friday was a turboprop passenger plane of the ATR 72 type. The model is a twin-engine turboprop made by the Franco-Italian consortium Avions de Transport Régional. In January 2023, 72 people, including four crew members, died when an ATR 72-500 crashed while attempting to land at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal.
Firefighters are vigilantly working at the crash site, employing their skills in firefighting to contain any potential fire from the wreckage. The airline's initial response mentioned the need for a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the crash, which could involve expert firefighting analysts.
