SAO PAULO:
A plane with 62 people on board crashed in Vinhedo, Brazil, on Friday, local TV station GloboNews reported.
The ATR-72 plane operated by airline Voepass Linhas Areas was en route from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, to Guarulhos, in Sao Paulo, website G1 said, citing Voepass.
Sao Paulo’s state fire brigade confirmed on social media that a plane crashed in Vinhedo, and that it has sent seven crews to the region of the accident.
Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be the plane plunging down into a cluster of trees, followed by a large plume of black smoke.
The aircraft struck multiple houses, causing widespread devastation in the area, according to CNN.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his concern over the incident, stating that it “appears” all passengers may have perished in the crash. “I would like everyone to stand up so that we can observe a minute of silence because a plane has just crashed in the city of Vinhedo, in São Paulo, with 58 passengers and 4 crew members and it appears they all died,” he said in a video shared on X.
The Voepass plane had departed from Cascavel and was en route to São Paulo when it lost signal shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. ET), according to data from Flightradar24.
“There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board,” said Voepass in a statement.
Dramatic videos shared on social media showed the plane spiraling out of control before crashing. Footage of the wreckage revealed the plane engulfed in flames on the ground. Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage.
