An airliner with 62 people on board crashed in Brazil on Friday, and the country’s president said that all passengers are presumed dead.

Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be the plane plunging down behind a cluster of trees, followed by a large plume of black smoke.

Airline Voepass said the plane, which had taken off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, bound for Sao Paulo’s main international airport, crashed in the town of Vinhedo, about 80 kilometres northwest of Sao Paulo.

The airline said it could not provide further information on what caused the plane, which had a PS-VPB registration, to crash.

The aircraft was listed by flight tracker FlightRadar24 as an ATR 72-500 turboprop. ATR is jointly owned by Airbus and the Italian aerospace group Leonardo.

Speaking at an event, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked for a minute of silence for the victims of the crash, adding that all on board were presumed dead.

Sao Paulo’s state fire brigade rushed seven crews to the scene of the accident, according to a post on social media.

Opinion

Editorial

Token austerity
Updated 11 Mar, 2026

Token austerity

The ‘austerity’ measures are a ritualistic response to public anger rather than a sincere attempt to reform state spending.
Lebanon on fire
11 Mar, 2026

Lebanon on fire

WHILE the entire Gulf region has become an active warzone, repercussions of this conflict have spread to the...
Canine crisis
11 Mar, 2026

Canine crisis

KARACHI’S stray dog crisis requires urgent attention. Feral canines can cause serious and lasting physical and...
Iran’s new leader
Updated 10 Mar, 2026

Iran’s new leader

The position is the most powerful in Iran, bringing together clerical authority and political and ideological leadership.
National priorities
10 Mar, 2026

National priorities

EVEN as the country faces heightened risks of attacks from actual terrorists, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi...
Silenced march
10 Mar, 2026

Silenced march

ON the eve of International Women’s Day, Islamabad Police detained dozens of Aurat March activists who had ...