Brazil: 7 die in plane crash in Sao Paulo, investigation ordered

An executive plane, Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop, carrying seven passengers crashed in a rural area of the Brazilian municipality of Piracicaba, in southeastern Sao Paulo at around 9:00 am within minutes after takeoff, Brazil, state TV channel Globo News reported on Tuesday. The casualties include the pilot, co-pilot, and at least five passengers who were all members of the same family. The plane had departed from the regional airport of Piracicaba, approximately 164 km from the city of Sao Paulo, and crashed into the wooded area adjacent to Sao Paulo State Faculty of Technology, sources confirmed to the local fire department.

The police told reporters on the ground that an investigation would be launched to determine the cause of the accident. It confirmed that all the seven passengers aboard had died. The deceased include a Brazilian shareholder in energy company Cosan SA, named Celso Silveira Mello Filho, his wife, and their three children, said Brazilian authorities later in a statement, identifying the victims. It is to mention that Celso Silveira Mello Filho was the brother of a famous billionaire Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello, the chairman of the major sugarcane grower and ethanol producer Cosan.

In the footage broadcasted, a fire crew was seen at the scene dousing the blazes spread in a small area of the forest where the plane had crash-landed. The plane was reported to have burst into flames as it made an impact near the campus. The Brazilian Air Force, meanwhile, was also seen inspecting the area as it ordered the air traffic control to start an investigation, according to the local press reports.   

Two killed in plane crash near Greece coast

On Tuesday, at least two were killed in a single-engine plane crash off the coast of Greece Island. The incident took place near Samos Island in Greece's Aegean Sea, the AMNA news agency reported. Both the passengers died on the spot after the plane plunged from mid-air, Associated Press revealed, citing the sources. The bodies of the dead were retrieved by the Greek Coast Guard. Both the onboard passengers were identified as Israeli citizens, who were planning to visit the island. The Coast Guard carried out thorough search and rescue operations involving patrol vessels and fishing boats and recovered the dead bodies of the man and the woman. A probe has been launched by the Greek government to identify the immediate cause of the accident.  

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