In Brazil, authorities are conducting investigations to find out the causes that led to the downfall of a plane a day ago in Sao Paolo, where the 61 people on board died as a result.
The plane of the airline company “Voepass”, manufactured ATR 72, was moving towards the international airport of Sao Paulo in Guarulhos, when it fell in the city of Vinhedo. There were 57 passengers and 4 crew members on board.
Cellphone footage from witnesses shows the plane plummeting vertically, making several spins before crashing near some homes.
There were no injuries to the residents. Amid the rain, rescue teams continued to search and found the first bodies at the scene, in the cold of the Southern Hemisphere winter.
In an announcement by the Globo television network in Brazil, it was said that “the possibility of ice formation in the Vinhedo region is confirmed” and local media quoted experts as saying that frost may have been the cause of the accident.
Sao Paulo Public Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite said Friday that the plane's black box has been found.
Marcelo Moura, director of operations for the airline Voepass, told reporters Friday night that there had been ice forecasts, but they were within acceptable levels for the aircraft.
Likewise, Colonel Carlos Henrique Baldi from the Air Force Center of Brazil for the investigation and prevention of air accidents said yesterday that it was too early to confirm that ice was the cause of the plane crash.
The French-Italian company that manufactures the ATR planes said its specialists are “fully committed to supporting investigations and customers”.
On Friday, authorities began sending the bodies to the morgue and appealed to family members to help with information that could lead to the identification of their relatives.
