Plane carrying 61 people crashes in Brazil with no survivors

Sao Paulo, Aug 10 : A plane carrying 61 people crashed near Sao Paulo in Brazil on Friday, killing all on board, Brazilian regional airline Voepass has said in a statement.

The aircraft crashed in Vinhedo in Sao Paulo state and reportedly fell into a residential area. Officials said that one home in the local condominium complex has been damaged. However, none of the residents were hurt.

The small twin-engine plane had taken off from the city of Cascavel in the southern Brazilian state of Parana, headed for the international airport in Sao Paulo, the BBC reported.

Previously, it was believed 62 people had perished on board the aeroplane that went down but the airline later updated the death toll to 61.

"The company regrets to inform that all 61 people on board Flight 2283 died at the scene," Voepass said in a statement.

According to the airline, there were 57 passengers on board and four crew members.

"At this time, Voepass Linhas Aereas prioritises providing unrestricted assistance to the families of the victims and effectively collaborating with the authorities to investigate the causes of the accident," it added

The maker of the aeroplane that crashed, ATR, has said its specialists are fully engaged to support the investigation into what caused the crash.