Brazil Declares Three-Day Mourning Over Plane Crash

A plane with 57 passengers and four crew members onboard crashed on Friday in Brazil’s São Paulo state, resulting in the loss of all lives, according to the airline.

The aircraft, an ATR 72-500 operated by Voepass, was en route from Cascavel in Paraná state to São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport when it went down in Vinhedo.

Initially, Voepass reported that 58 passengers were on the flight, but later updated the number to 57 on their website.

Footage aired on local media showed the plane spinning almost vertically as it descended, followed by images of thick smoke rising from the crash site, which appeared to be in a residential area.

“There were no survivors,” the city government in Valinhos — involved in the rescue and recovery operation in nearby Vinhedo — said in an interview.

Vinhedo, with about 76,000 residents, is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

Recovery of the victims’ remains for “identification” has begun and “will continue throughout the night,” Sao Paulo State Governor Tarcisio de Freitas told reporters at the scene.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of mourning.

Voepass said it was cooperating with authorities to “determine the causes of the accident,” while giving full assistance to families of the victims on flight 2283.

The plane, a twin-engine turboprop, took off “without any flight restrictions, with all its systems operational,” the company said.

Brazil’s CENIPA aviation accident agency has launched an investigation.

ATR, a Franco-Italian aircraft maker and Airbus subsidiary said its experts were working to help investigators.