Private plane crash in Brazil kills pilot and his family
Ten members of a family lost their lives when a private plane crashed into the city of Gramado in southern Brazil.
Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman and the pilot of the plane, died in the crash along with his wife, three daughters, and other relatives, according to a statement from his company.
The small plane reportedly collided with a building’s chimney, a house, and a shop as it plummeted.
Local authorities reported that 17 people on the ground were injured, including two who are in serious condition.
Mr. Galeazzi, 61, was reportedly flying his family to Jundiaí in São Paulo state when the accident occurred.
Governor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul state confirmed in a press conference that all 10 victims were members of Mr. Galeazzi’s family. He also mentioned that the plane had taken off in poor weather conditions.
The plane is said to have flown 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) before crashing into the urban area of Gramado just minutes after taking off on Sunday morning.
“At the time, it was revving up. You could see that it was accelerating a lot,” eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters.
“Then there was a bang as it hit the building and then it passed close to my house, and then it fell. I thought it had dropped in front of my house,” she said.
Images from the scene show emergency responders working around the smoking wreckage amid debris from severely damaged buildings.
Mr. Galeazzi was the CEO of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in São Paulo.
The company issued a statement on LinkedIn, paying tribute to the 61-year-old.
“Luiz Galeazzi will be eternally remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as the leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the statement said.
“We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region,” it said, adding that it would co-operate with investigations into the accident.
The plane crashed near the centre of Gramado, hitting a house, a furniture store and a hotel, according to Brazilian media.
State governor Mr Leite said the cause of the accident was being investigated by the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).
“The entire state is mobilized here to provide the necessary assistance,” he told reporters at the scene.
Gramado is a popular tourist destination, known for hosting events during the festive period.
The region was severely hit in May this year by unprecedented flooding, which claimed dozens of lives and displaced around 150,000 people from their homes.
