A tragic plane crash in the heart of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest claimed the lives of all 14 passengers on board. The accident occurred on Saturday as the small propeller plane was attempting to land in heavy rain at the remote jungle town of Barcelos. The victims were all Brazilian tourists who embarked on the flight.
The Horrific Plane Crash in Brazil
They hoped to enjoy an exciting fishing expedition in the rainforest. The ill-fated Embraer PT-SOG aircraft had departed from Manaus, the capital and largest city in the state of Amazonas, per Sky News.
The pilot of the small aircraft tried to land at the airport in Barcelos when it crashed, local media reported. The plane was approaching the airport in heavy rain with low visibility, according to the state’s governor, Wilson Lima.
The region typically experiences heavy rainfalls, he said. During the attempt to land, the plane ran out of the landing strip and crashed into a forest, according to an official.
The plane was a twin-engine turboprop from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The regional airline Manaus Aerotaxi operated the vehicle. Local officials identified the victims as 12 Brazilian men en route to Barcelos for seasonal sport fishing and two crew members.
The victims were from various regions of the country. Some of them were accompanied by their relatives, reports say. Cell phone video footage from the passengers showed them smiling and cracking jokes as they departed from the airport in Manaus.
One of them said that the small twin-engine plane was like a can of sardines. The survivors were supposed to fly to Barcelos for a fishing expedition in the Rio Negro, an Amazon river tributary.
The Brazilian Air Force promptly sent a team to collect information and preserve evidence at the scene of the crash. Footage posted by the Globo television network depicted the plane lying on a muddy dirt track.
Its front portion ended up obscured by green foliage. A group of onlookers stood nearby, shielding themselves with umbrellas. The bodies of the victims will go to Manaus for identification, a process that will take a day.
The bodies will then be flown back to their families, the Manaus Aerotaxi statement says. It will take some time to transport the bodies because of the rugged terrain. The airline will offer support to the victims’ families.
The investigation is ongoing, and no further details released. The airline requested privacy for those affected. Though they pledged to provide information as the investigation progresses.
The cause of the crash is still a mystery. The cause is related to the weather or the plane’s maintenance history, reports suggest.
The Brazilian authorities have requested the assistance of an international team of investigators to help with the probe. They will be arriving on Sunday at the crash site.
