Brazilian airliner crashes, all 62 on board killed

SAO PAULO: A regional turboprop plane carrying 62 people crashed near Sao Paulo in Brazil on Friday, killing all on board, local officials near the crash site said.

Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be the ATR-made plane spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke.

City officials at Valinhos, near Vinhedo, said there were no survivors and only one home in the local condominium complex had been damaged while none of the residents were hurt.

“I have to be the bearer of really bad news,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaking at an event shortly after the crash. He asked for a minute of silence for the victims of the crash.

Airline Voepass said the plane, which had taken off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, bound for Sao Paulo’s main international airport, crashed in the town of Vinhedo, about 80-kms northwest of Sao Paulo.

The unlisted airline said it could not provide further information on what caused the plane, which had a PS-VPB registration, to crash.

Just minutes after the apparent accident, Sao Paulo’s state fire brigade said it was rushing seven crews to the scene of the crash.

The aircraft was listed by flight tracker FlightRadar24 as an ATR 72-500 turboprop. ATR is jointly owned by Airbus AIR.PA and Italian aerospace group Leonardo LDOF.MI. ATR did not immediately respond to a request for comment.