SAO PAULO: Fourteen people on a small jet died when the plane crashed in Brazil’s northern Ama­zonas state on Saturday, the state’s governor said.

The accident took place in the Barcelos province, some 400km from the state capital, Manaus.

“I deeply regret the death of the 12 passengers and two crew members who were victims of the plane crash in Barcelos on Saturday,” said Wilson Lima, Governor of Amazonas state on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In an interview, Governor Lima said the bodies had been removed and that the victims were Brazilian tourists.

Lima added that the region faces heavy rainfall and the most likely cause of the accident was an error in the route taken at the time of landing.

The Manaus Aerotaxi airline issued a statement confirming that there had been an accident and that it was investigating.

The Brazilian Air Force said investigators from the Accident Investigation and Prevention Center had been called in to begin an investigation into reasons for the crash.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2023