A plane crash in Brazil has claimed two lives after the light aircraft smashed into a bus while attempting an emergency landing on a street in Sao Paulo.
The aircraft crashed into vehicles on the busy Marques de Sao Vicente Avenue in the Barra Funda neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil, around 7.20 am local time (10.20 am UK time), the local fire department said.
Local media G1 outlet reported that at least two people had died. The fire department found two charred bodies inside the plane, according to the newspaper. Two people were also injured after being hit by debris.
Witnesses reported hearing an explosion and saw a large cloud of black smoke.
Engulfed in flames
Footage from the crash site shows the wreckage and the bus engulfed in flames, with dozens of firefighters trying to put out the blaze.
The plane reportedly left the Campo de Marte airport at around 7.15 am, flying towards the city of Porto Alegre in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Less than five minutes later, the aircraft attempted the emergency landing on the street and crashed into the bus.
Joao Lucas da Silva Amaral told TV Globo that the plane hit a tree and kerosene started pouring out before the aircraft lost altitude and crashed.
Another witness, Genival Dantas Arraes, told the outlet: ‘The plane came down the avenue and I just saw everything flying and the fireball. It exploded immediately.
Plane emergency landing
‘Everyone was paralyzed. The plane was ripping up palm trees and signs. It went by very quickly.’
‘The pilot tried to land on Marques de Sao Vicente, and fortunately, many cars swerved, but the plane hit the back of the bus and ended up exploding. The impact was huge, very scary,’ a third witness, Adriano Rolim, added.
A piece of the plane hit a bus, injuring one woman inside, while a motorcyclist was struck by another piece of wreckage, the fire department said. Both were receiving medical care.
The small aircraft, identified by local media as a King Air F90, can reportedly transport eight passengers on board.
There appear to have been only the two victims – the pilot and one passenger – on board, as a fire department spokesperson told local media that there were no survivors in the aircraft.
Police investigations
It is also not known why the plane had to make the emergency landing. Police and the Brazilian Air Force are reportedly investigating the cause of the crash.
The Secretary of Public Security of Sao Paulo, Guilherme Derrite, said in a social media post that several teams were responding to the crash.
‘Our teams are working on the crash of a twin-engine plane on Av. Marques de Sao Vicente, in Sao Paulo. The Fire Department controlled the flames,’ he said.
‘Teams from the Military Police, Civil Police and Technical-Scientific Police are also supporting the incident.’
The airspace over the area has been closed following the accident this morning.
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