A plane with 58 passengers and four crew members on board crashed on Friday in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, local media reported. The local fire department confirmed that the accident occurred in the city of Vinhedo, according to local media G1, in the Recanto Florido residential complex.
Brazilian television network GloboNews showed images of a large area of flames and smoke coming out of what appeared to be the fuselage of the plane. Other images from GloboNews showed a plane spiraling downwards, while one user shared the flames and thick black smoke coming out of the plane, which had crashed metres from his house, among the trees.
According to the airline, Voepass Linhas Aéreas, the flight was an ATR-72 turboprop aircraft operating on the Cascavel – Guarulhos route. This model has the capacity to transport 68 passengers.
The first emergency call was made at 13:28 local time on Rua Joao Edueta, near the Miguel Melhado de Campos road, and seven emergency units were immediately mobilised to the site, including firefighters, members of the Civil Protection unit and the Military Police. The nearby Vinhedo and Valinhos hospitals are also on alert awaiting the first injured.
Shortly after the news broke, VOEPASS Linhas Aéreas issued a statement confirming the incident on “flight 2283 – PS – VPB aircraft” and stating that it “used all means to support those involved” although “there is still no information on how the accident occurred or the situation of the people on board.”
Likewise, Cascavel Airport and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) indicated that the corresponding protocols have been activated and all operations are being carried out both on site, on the possible victims, and in communication with their families.
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