An airplane carrying 57 passengers and 4 crew crashed Friday in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, killing everybody on board, the airline stated.
The plane, an ATR 72-500 operated by Voepass airline, was touring from Cascavel in southern Parana state to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos worldwide airport when it crashed within the metropolis of Vinhedo.
Voepass initially stated the aircraft was carrying 58 passengers, however a press release on the airline’s web site later revised the determine to 57.
Images broadcast on native media confirmed a big aircraft spinning because it plummeted nearly vertically, whereas different footage confirmed a big column of smoke rising from the crash web site in what gave the impression to be a residential space.
“There were no survivors,” the town authorities in Valinhos — which was concerned within the rescue and restoration operation in close by Vinhedo — stated in an to AFP.
Vinhedo, with about 76,000 residents, is situated roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.
Recovery of the victims’ stays for “identification” has begun and “will continue throughout the night,” Sao Paulo State Governor Tarcisio de Freitas advised reporters on the scene.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of mourning.
Voepass stated it was cooperating with authorities to “determine the causes of the accident,” whereas giving full help to households of the victims on flight 2283.
The aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop, took off “without any flight restrictions, with all its systems operational,” the corporate stated.
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Brazil’s CENIPA aviation accident company has launched an investigation.
ATR, a Franco-Italian plane maker and Airbus subsidiary, stated its specialists had been working to assist investigators.
– ‘Terrifying’ –
Truck driver Martins Barbosa, 49, was working when he discovered of the aircraft crash, which occurred 150 meters (500 ft) from his house.
“I thought it might have fallen on my house, with my son inside,” he advised AFP, including he felt despondent earlier than studying his household was okay.
Nathalie Cicari, who lives close to the crash web site, advised CNN Brasil the affect was “terrifying.”
“I was having lunch, I heard a very loud noise very close by,” she stated, describing the sound as drone-like however “much louder.”
“I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realized that it was not a normal movement for a plane.”
Cicari was not harm however needed to evacuate her home, which was full of black smoke from the crash.
“I arrived at the scene and saw many bodies on the ground — many of them,” one other witness, Ricardo Rodrigues, advised native Band News.
Firefighters, navy police and state civil protection had been deployed on the scene.
Military police advised native media the accident had not brought about any casualties on the bottom, and that the hearth sparked by the crash had been introduced underneath management.
The aircraft’s black field “has already been found, apparently preserved,” Sao Paulo state safety official Guilherme Derrite advised reporters on the scene.
The doomed aircraft recorded its first flight in April 2010, in accordance with the web site planespotters.internet.
Air security has improved dramatically in current a long time, with lethal passenger aircraft crashes changing into ever-more uncommon worldwide, although extra frequent in creating nations.
Excluding Friday’s crash, CENIPA knowledge exhibits Brazil has recorded 108 plane accidents to date this yr, leading to 49 deaths. Over the final ten years, 746 folks have died in 1,665 accidents within the nation.
In January 2023, one other ATR 72 operated by Yeti Airlines crashed after stalling in Nepal, killing all 72 on board.
Nepalese authorities attributed the incident to pilot error.
AFP