A passenger plane carrying 62 people crashed in Brazil on Friday, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced that all passengers are presumed dead. Social media footage captured the plane descending behind trees and then a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky. The aircraft, operated by Voepass, was en route from Cascavel in Paraná to São Paulo’s main international airport when it went down in Vinhedo, about 80 kilometers northwest of São Paulo.
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The airline has not yet provided details on the cause of the crash. The plane, identified as an ATR 72-500 turboprop by flight tracker FlightRadar24, is registered as PS-VPB. ATR, the manufacturer, is a joint venture between Airbus and the Italian aerospace group Leonardo. In response to the tragedy, President Lula requested a minute of silence for the victims. São Paulo’s state fire brigade has sent seven crews to the crash site to assist with the recovery efforts.
