As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, Brazilian authorities are investigating the cause of a plane crash that occurred on Friday in São Paulo state, resulting in a fiery wreck with 62 individuals on board.
The ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, operated by local airline Voepass, was en route to São Paulo’s international airport in Guarulhos. The aircraft, carrying 58 passengers and four crew members, went down inside a gated community in the city of Vinhedo. According to the airline, the flight departed from Cascavel Airport at 11:46 a.m. local time.
The airline initially said the plane had 62 occupants, then it revised the number to 61. Early on Saturday, it raised the figure once again after it found a passenger named Costantino Thé Maia was not on its original list.
Rescue teams Saturday retrieved the remains of all 62 occupants from the wreckage. Sao Paulo state government said in a statement that rescue operations finished at 6:30 p.m. local time, with the identification of the bodies of the pilot and co-pilot by forensics experts. There were 34 male and 28 female bodies in the wreckage, the government said.
The airline said Saturday afternoon all passengers on the aircraft were Brazilians, although four had dual citizenship — three Venezuelans and one Portuguese.
Previously, Maycon Cristo, a representative from the local fire department, informed journalists in Vinhedo that a winch was employed to lift debris from the plane off the ground.
Brazilian authorities began transporting the victims’ remains to the morgue on Friday. They urged family members to provide any medical records, X-rays, and dental exams to assist in identifying the bodies. Blood tests were also conducted to aid in the identification process.
Costa Filho, the airport’s minister, announced that the air force’s center will initiate a criminal investigation into the accident. “We will investigate so this case is fully explained to the Brazilian people,” he stated.
The plane’s manufacturer, the French-Italian company ATR, released a statement indicating it had been notified that the accident involved that specific model. The company confirmed that its specialists are “fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.”
Nathalie Cicari, a resident near the crash site, described the impact as “terrifying” in an interview with CNN Brasil. Her account highlights the severity of the incident and its immediate effect on the local community.
“I was having lunch, I heard a very loud noise very close by,” she said, describing the sound as drone-like but “much louder.”
“I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realized that it was not a normal movement for a plane,” she told the broadcaster.
Cicari was not hurt but had to evacuate her house, which was filled with black smoke from the crash.
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