VINHEDO, Brazil – Brazilian civil defense teams worked through the night to recover the bodies of passengers from a plane that tragically crashed near São Paulo on August 9, killing all 62 people on board.
By the morning of August 10, the São Paulo state government reported that 21 bodies had been recovered, with two victims identified at the crash site. The remains are being transferred to the police morgue in São Paulo for further identification.
Initially, regional carrier Voepass had reported that the plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members. However, on August 10, the company confirmed that an additional passenger, previously unaccounted for, was on the flight, bringing the total number of casualties to 62.
Firefighter Maycon Cristo, speaking at the crash site, said that the position of the bodies, along with physical characteristics, documents, and personal belongings such as cell phones, were being used to assist in the identification process. “Once all this evidence has been collected, we will remove the victims from the wreckage and transport them to São Paulo,” he said.
Relatives of the victims have been brought to São Paulo to provide genetic material for DNA identification of body parts and other relevant information, according to São Paulo state Civil Defense Coordinator Henguel Pereira.
The aircraft, an ATR-72 turboprop, was en route from Cascavel in Paraná state to São Paulo when it crashed at approximately 1:30 p.m. in the town of Vinhedo, about 80 km northwest of São Paulo.
ATR, a Franco-Italian company jointly owned by Airbus and Leonardo, is the leading manufacturer of regional turboprop planes seating 40 to 70 passengers. On August 9, ATR told Reuters that its specialists are “fully engaged” in the ongoing investigation into the crash.