Tragedy in the skies: Brazil plane crash claims 61 lives
New information continues to emerge following the airplane crash in Brazil. Journalists contacted individuals who were supposed to be on board the aircraft. They are grateful that fate spared them from boarding.
According to information provided by Voepass Airline, 57 passengers and four crew members died in the tragedy.
The twin-engine ATR-72 was flying from Cascavel in the state of Paraná. It had 58 passengers and four crew members on board. The plane was supposed to land at Guarulhos International Airport, but it crashed in a built-up area of the approximately 70,000-person city of Vinhedo, located about 80 kilometres northwest of São Paulo.
The airline did not disclose what might have caused the accident in the initial statements following the crash. Social media videos and Brazilian media reports show the final seconds of the flight — the aircraft spins around its axis and falls almost vertically downward.
Narrowly escaped death
The media reached out to people who were supposed to be on the plane. One middle-aged man was not allowed to board because he was late.
- I was upstairs, drinking coffee and waiting. I didn’t hear any announcements about my flight. When I went downstairs, it was 9:30 AM ET, and there was a long queue. I waited, and at 9:41 AM ET, that guy [airport staff - ed.] informed me that I wouldn’t be allowed to board — he recounted and admitted he even argued at one point to get on the plane. — He saved my life. He did his job. If he hadn’t done it, I probably wouldn’t be giving this interview — he said.
Another passenger, a young man, and his friends were among ten people waiting at the wrong gate. By the time they reached the correct gate, it was already closed. The young man also attempted to persuade the staff to let him on. The airport staff offered him a change in flight time.
The investigation into the causes of the crash is still ongoing. In a statement to the media, ATR, the aircraft manufacturer, confirmed it was aware of the crash in Vinhedo and assured that its specialists would fully participate in the investigation. The Brazilian Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents is conducting the investigation.
