Plane Carrying 62 People Crashes in Brazil

A plane carrying 62 people crashed on Friday in Brazil’s São Paulo state, according to firefighters and the airline Voepass.

While an official death toll hasn’t been confirmed, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva indicated during an event that there were likely no survivors.

“A plane just crashed in Vinhedo, São Paulo, with 58 passengers and four crew members, and it seems that everyone died,” Lula said in a speech in Itajaí, Santa Catarina state.

The aircraft was en route from Cascavel in Paraná state to São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport.

Voepass released a statement acknowledging “an accident involving flight 2283” but noted that there was still no confirmation regarding the cause of the crash or the status of those on board.

Images aired on local media showed the aircraft nosediving at high speed and a large plume of smoke rising from the crash site, which appeared to be in a residential area.

The São Paulo Fire Department reported on social media platform X: “Aircraft crash, 7 teams involved, so far only this information.”

Vinhedo, with a population of about 76,000, is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of São Paulo.