Sao Paulo crash: Emergency responders begin to gather the dead

The 62 people on board the jet crashed in the town of Vinhedo, close to Sao Paulo, and the remains of the dead were being recovered by Brazilian rescue personnel on Saturday.

According to the Sao Paulo state authorities, by 1 p.m. (1600 GMT), at least 31 dead had been found. Vinhedo Mayor Dario Pacheco stated that the pilot and co-pilot’s remains have been positively identified.

The police morgue in Sao Paulo is receiving all of the bodies.

According to regional airline Voepass, which flew the aircraft, four persons with dual citizenship were among the victims: three were Portuguese women and three were Venezuelans.

Voepass reported on Friday that the aircraft was carrying 57 passengers and 4 crew members. However, the company revealed on Saturday that there had been an additional unaccounted-for passenger on the trip, increasing the total number of victims to 62.

According to firefighter Maycon Cristo at the crash scene, authorities are identifying the victims using information like as seat assignments, physical traits, paperwork, and personal possessions like mobile phones.

“Once all this evidence has been collected, we will remove the victims from the wreckage and place them in the vehicle to be transported to Sao Paulo,” he stated.

According to Henguel Pereira, the state coordinator for civil defense, relatives of the victims were flown to São Paulo to donate DNA samples that would help identify the corpses.

During a news briefing in Vinhedo, Marcelo Moreno, the chairman of the Brazilian aviation accident investigation agency Cenipa, stated that the plane’s “black box,” which included voice recordings and flight data, was being analyzed.

The aircraft, an ATR-72 turboprop from Cascavel, Parana, was headed to Sao Paulo when it crashed in Vinhedo, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo, at 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT). It fell in a residential neighborhood, but there were no injuries to those on the ground.

According to a statement from Brazil’s air force, the aircraft was operating properly until 1:21 p.m., when it stopped answering calls. At 1:22 p.m., radar contact was lost.

The air force said that no emergency or unfavorable weather circumstances were reported by pilots.

Airbus and Leonardo jointly control Franco-Italian ATR, which is the leading manufacturer of regional turboprop aircraft with seating capacities ranging from 40 to 70. ATR said to Reuters on Friday that its experts were “fully engaged” in the disaster inquiry.