A VoePass aircraft with 57 passengers and four crew members on board crashed in Brazil, killing everyone on board and leaving flaming wreckage in a residential neighborhood.
The airline, which operates a small fleet of planes made by ATR, said the flight was traveling from the state of Parana to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport. It crashed in Vinhedo, a city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. Governor Tarcisio de Freitas confirmed in a news conference that no one had survived.
Videos posted on social media on Friday afternoon showed the plane suddenly dropping from the sky, spiraling as it fell. It remains unclear how the incident occurred, VoePass said in a statement. The last known tracking by FlightRadar24 of the plane was when it was at 1,250m and approaching Sao Paulo.
Photo: AFP / GLOBO TV
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked for a moment of silence for the passengers during an event on Friday, saying: “It seems that everyone has died.”
“I have to be the spokesperson for some very bad news,” he said. “My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims.”
Sao Paulo state firefighters said seven teams were working at the crash site. Freitas said he and Parana Governor Carlos Roberto Massa Junior planned to fly to Vinhedo immediately.
The aircraft involved in the crash was an ATR-72 twin-engine turboprop model that typically seats about 70 people. ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo SpA.
ATR is working with investigators and the aircraft customer, the company said in an e-mail. “Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this event,” ATR said.
ATR aircraft generally have a good safety record and are popular in countries with more rugged terrain and smaller airports.
Friday’s crash stands to be among the most deadly so far this year.
There were no hull losses or fatal incidents involving passenger jet aircraft in all of last year, the International Air Transport Association said.
The Sao Paulo-based VoePass is one of Brazil’s oldest operating airlines.
VoePass has a fleet of 16 ATR models, including two of the smaller ATR-42 variants. The planes have an average age of about 17 years, according to tracking Web site Planespotters.
The aircraft involved in the crash was 14 years old, FlightRadar24 said.
VoePass initially said that 62 passengers and crew had been on the aircraft, before updating the figure to 61.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College