
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decreed three days of national mourning in memory of the 61 victims who lost their lives in the plane crash that took place in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo state.
The twin-engine ATR-72 model owned by Brazilian company Voepass took off without incident at 11.50am local time from Cascavel Airport, in the state of Parana, in southern Brazil to Guarulhos Airport where it never arrived. The plane crashed in the yard of a house in Vinhedo.
A group of passengers arrived late and were unable to board their flight at the last minute. "It is a miracle that I am alive and I thank the official who did not allow me to board," one of them told the local press.
As rescuers work to recover the wreckage, experts are beginning to question possible causes, including the formation of frost on the wings due to rapidly dropping temperatures in Sao Paulo state.