A devastating plane crash in São Paulo has claimed the lives of all 62 people aboard. The twin-engine ATR 72-500, operated by Voepass, went down in the town o

A devastating plane crash in São Paulo has claimed the lives of all 62 people aboard. The twin-engine ATR 72-500, operated by Voepass, went down in the town of Vinhedo on Friday while en route from Cascavel to Guarulhos airport. The aircraft, built in 2010, was reported to be in good operating condition with valid registration and airworthiness certificates, according to Brazil’s civil aviation agency.
The four crew members were all properly licensed and qualified. The Uopeccan Cancer Hospital in Cascavel confirmed that two of its trainee doctors were among the passengers who perished in the crash.
Local residents witnessed the horrifying incident. Felipe Magalhaes recounted to Reuters, “When I heard the sound of the plane falling, I looked out my window and saw the moment it crashed.” He described the scene as terrifying. Nathalie Cicari told CNN Brasil that she heard a “very loud noise” while having lunch and saw the plane spinning before realizing it was not a normal flight maneuver.
This crash marks Brazil’s deadliest aviation disaster since 2007, when a TAM Express flight crashed at São Paulo’s Congonhas airport, resulting in 199 fatalities.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, addressing an event shortly after the crash, expressed his condolences and led a moment of silence for the victims. On social media, he described the news as “very sad” and extended his solidarity to the victims’ families and friends.
Emergency response teams from the nearby town of Valinhos were promptly dispatched to the crash site. Valinhos City Hall reported that 20 personnel, including vehicles from the Municipal Civil Guard and Civil Defense, were mobilized for the operation.
ATR, the French-Italian manufacturer of the aircraft, has pledged its support for the investigation. In a statement, ATR expressed its condolences and confirmed that its specialists are actively involved in assisting with the investigation and supporting the customer.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with authorities and ATR working together to uncover the details surrounding this tragic event.