A tragic plane crash near São Paulo killed all 62 people on board. Brazilian civil defense teams worked overnight to recover the remains of the passengers.
By Saturday morning, they had recovered at least 21 bodies, with two victims identified at the crash site. All the bodies are being moved to São Paulo’s police morgue for further identification.
The plane, run by regional carrier Voepass, was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members. However, the airline confirmed on Saturday that there was one more unaccounted-for passenger, bringing the total number of victims to 62.
Firefighter Maycon Cristo, working at the crash site, explained that the position of the bodies, physical traits, documents, and personal items like cell phones are being used to help identify the victims. Once all evidence is gathered, the victims will be moved to São Paulo for further investigation.
Relatives of the victims have been brought to São Paulo to help in the identification process by providing genetic material for DNA testing. The São Paulo state government’s Civil Defense Coordinator, Henguel Pereira, stated that this step is vital for correctly identifying the deceased.
The ATR-72 turboprop plane was on its way from Cascavel in Paraná state to São Paulo when it crashed in Vinhedo, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of São Paulo. The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) on Friday.
ATR, the maker of the plane and a leading producer of regional turboprop aircraft, is working closely with investigators to find out what caused the crash. The company, jointly owned by Airbus and Leonardo, is fully involved in the ongoing investigation.
