2024-08-09 21:03:37
A plane carrying 62 people crashed in a residential area of Vignedo, Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. No passengers survived the crash early Friday afternoon (local time), the city government told the German news agency. According to VoePass Airlines, there were 58 passengers and four crew members on board.
The plane was flying from Cascavel, Paraná, to Guarulhos, São Paulo. São Paulo Guarulhos Airport is the largest airport in Brazil. Just about 19 months ago, the same type of plane crashed in Nepal, killing dozens of people.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked those present to observe a minute’s silence at an event in the south of the country. Lula said on the X platform: “This is very sad news. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims.”
News portal “G1” cited reports from Vinedo authorities that the plane crashed in a residential area with a nearby residence. But no one on the ground was injured.
“I have never heard such a huge explosion in my life,” a local resident who filmed video of the burning plane told UOL TV.
Rescue teams are on scene, according to the fire department. Vinedo’s hospitals are on special alert. According to “G1” reports, in addition to the fire department, the civil protection department and the police are also on duty.
Pictures and videos on social networks showed how a plane spun and fell from the sky. Then thick smoke rose. Data from the Flightradar 24 platform showed that the plane dropped nearly 4,000 meters in less than a minute.
“I express my solidarity with all the victims and those affected by this tragedy,” said São Paulo state governor Tarcisio de Freitas, pledging to provide all necessary support.
VoePass Airlines said in its first Instagram post about the crash that it could not yet disclose the cause of the crash. Federal police have launched an investigation into the accident. According to “G1”, police set up a crisis team at the home of a resident of the gated community where the tragedy occurred.
According to the UOL news portal, the accident was one of the deadliest in Brazilian aviation history.
Many people remember the crash that occurred on November 28, 2016, when the plane of Brazilian football club Chapecoense crashed in Colombia on its way to Medellin for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final. A total of 71 people died, including nearly all players as well as executives, coaches and accompanying reporters. Six passengers survived.
The plane that crashed on Friday was an ATR 72 turboprop, a shoulder-wing aircraft model owned by the French-Italian consortium Avions de Transport Régional. In January 2023, an ATR 72-500 crashed while approaching Nepal’s Pakola International Airport, killing 72 passengers, including 4 crew members.
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