A tragic plane crash in the Brazilian state of São Paulo has resulted in the loss of all 62 people on board. The twin-engine turboprop aircraft was en route from Cascavel, in Paraná, to Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo city when it crashed on Friday in the town of Vinhedo, according to Voepass airline.
Disturbing footage circulating on social media shows the aircraft spiraling downwards before it crashed. After initial confusion about the number of passengers, Voepass confirmed on Saturday that the ATR 72-500 was carrying 58 passengers and four crew members. Unfortunately, there were no survivors.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims. In response to the tragedy, São Paulo’s state Governor, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, declared three days of mourning.
Authorities have retrieved the flight recorders, and ATR, the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer, has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Remarkably, the plane crashed in a residential area, but no one on the ground was injured. Officials reported that only one home in a nearby condominium complex sustained damage. Video footage from the scene shows a large fire and smoking wreckage amidst a cluster of houses. Police and fire services are actively working at the crash site.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported that the plane departed from Cascavel at 11:56 local time (14:56 GMT), with the last signal received approximately an hour and a half later. Brazil’s civil aviation agency confirmed that the aircraft, built in 2010, was in good operating condition with valid registration and airworthiness certificates. The four crew members on board were all fully licensed and qualified.
Among the victims were two trainee doctors from the Uopeccan Cancer Hospital in Cascavel, according to a statement from the hospital to BBC Brasil.
Local residents witnessed the horrifying moment of the crash. “When I heard the sound of the plane falling, I looked out my window and saw it crash,” Felipe Magalhaes told Reuters, describing the experience as “terrifying.” Another resident, Nathalie Cicari, recounted to CNN Brasil how she had been having lunch when she heard a loud noise, initially mistaking it for a drone before realizing the plane was in distress.
This incident marks Brazil’s deadliest plane crash since 2007, when a TAM Express aircraft crashed and caught fire at São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport, killing 199 people.
During a public event, President Lula paid tribute to the victims, asking for a minute of silence. He later posted on social media, expressing his sorrow: “All my solidarity to the families and friends of the victims.”
In response to the disaster, the nearby town of Valinhos dispatched 20 emergency personnel to assist at the crash site as part of a coordinated operation, according to local authorities. The Valinhos City Hall issued a statement confirming the deployment of personnel and vehicles from both the Valinhos Municipal Civil Guard and the Civil Defense.
ATR, the manufacturer of the aircraft, acknowledged the incident in a statement, offering their thoughts to those affected and confirming that their specialists are fully engaged in supporting the investigation and assisting the airline.
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