All 10 passengers have been killed and more than a dozen people on the ground injured after a small plane crashed into a house in southern Brazil.
The Civil Defence Agency said the aircraft hit the chimney of the home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a mobile phone shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of the town of Gramado.
More than a dozen people who were on the ground were taken to hospitals with injuries including smoke inhalation, with two said to be in critical condition.
It is not immediately clear what caused the crash.
Local media reported that the plane was piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman who was travelling with his family to São Paulo State.
In a statement published on LinkedIn, Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that the 61-year-old was on board the plane, adding that he was travelling with his wife, their three daughters, several other family members and an employee.
Police cordon off houses that were hit by a plane in Gramado, 22 December, 2024 – Mateus Bruxel/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.
“In this moment of intense pain we are deeply thankful with the manifestations of solidarity and love that we have received from friends, colleagues and the community,” the statement read.
“We also express our solidarity with those who have been affected by this accident in the region.”
Security cameras filmed the small Piper plane departing from Canela airport in Rio Grande do Sul State, minutes before it crashed in Gramado, which is about 10km from the airport.
Gramado is in the Serra Gaúcha mountains and popular with Brazilian tourists who enjoy the cool weather, hiking spots and traditional architecture.
The town was settled by large numbers of German and Italian immigrants in the 19th century and is a popular spot for Christmas holidays.
