In a devastating incident on Friday, a plane carrying 57 passengers and four crew members crashed in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board.
The aircraft, an ATR 72-500 operated by Voepass airline, was en route from Cascavel in Parana state to Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo when it went down in the city of Vinhedo.
The airline initially reported that 58 passengers were on the flight but later revised the number to 57. The crash took place in a residential area, where local media captured dramatic footage of the plane spinning almost vertically before it plummeted to the ground. A large column of smoke rose from the crash site, visible from miles away.
“There were no survivors,” confirmed the city government of Valinhos, which participated in the rescue and recovery operation in Vinhedo. Vinhedo, a city with about 76,000 residents, is located roughly 80 kilometers northwest of Sao Paulo. The authorities noted that the victims’ bodies were being transported to a morgue for identification.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, speaking at an event in Santa Catarina state, acknowledged the tragedy even before an official death toll was released. He expressed his deep sorrow, stating, “It appears there were no survivors,” and called for a moment of silence to honor the victims.
Voepass airline acknowledged the accident involving flight 2283 and assured that they were fully cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the crash. The company also pledged to provide full support to the families of the victims. According to Voepass, the plane took off without any flight restrictions, and all systems were operational at the time of departure.
The aircraft involved in the crash, a twin-engine turboprop, was manufactured by ATR, a Franco-Italian company and subsidiary of Airbus. ATR has committed to assisting investigators in uncovering the reasons behind the tragic accident.
Eyewitness accounts from those near the crash site painted a harrowing picture of the event. Nathalie Cicari, a local resident, described the impact as “terrifying.” She recalled, “I was having lunch when I heard a very loud noise nearby. I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realized it was not a normal movement for a plane.”
Another witness, Ricardo Rodrigues, who arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, was shocked by the devastation. “I saw many bodies on the ground—many of them,” he told local Band News.
Despite the severity of the crash, local authorities confirmed that there were no additional casualties on the ground. Firefighters, military police, and state civil defense teams were quickly deployed to the scene, where they managed to bring the fire under control. The plane’s black box, a crucial piece of evidence in determining the cause of the crash, was recovered and appeared to be in good condition, according to Sao Paulo state security official Guilherme Derrite.
The ATR 72-500 aircraft involved in the crash had been in service since April 2010, according to aviation tracking website planespotters.net. While air safety has significantly improved globally in recent decades, this tragic incident serves as a somber reminder that fatal plane crashes, though rare, still occur, particularly in developing nations.
This crash comes less than a year after a similar incident in Nepal, where another ATR 72 operated by Yeti Airlines crashed, killing all 72 people on board. Nepalese authorities later attributed that crash to pilot error. The cause of the crash in Vinhedo, Brazil, remains under investigation.