Plane Crash Kills 10, Injures Dozens in Popular Tourist Town in Brazil
A devastating plane crash in the popular tourist town of Gramado, Southern Brazil, has left 10 people dead and over a dozen injured, Al Jazeera reports.
The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday, impacting a residential area and causing widespread damage.
The plane, which departed from nearby Canela, struck the chimney of one home and the second floor of another before ultimately crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighborhood. According to Brazil’s Civil Defense agency, all ten people aboard the aircraft were killed, including the pilot and owner of the plane, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, along with nine members of his family.
Galeazzi was the CEO of Galeazzi & Associados, a company which confirmed the tragic loss of its leader, as well as his wife and three daughters, in a statement on LinkedIn. “Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company stated, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support and sympathy for those impacted by the crash.
On the ground, the crash injured 17 people, with 12 still receiving treatment in hospital as of Sunday evening. The extent of their injuries is currently unknown.
Gramado, nestled in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a highly frequented tourist destination, especially popular during the holiday season. The incident has cast a shadow over the usually vibrant town.
This tragedy comes just over a year after Brazil experienced its worst air disaster in nearly two decades. In that incident, a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.
