At least 10 people were killed when a small plane crashed in a Brazilian town popular with tourists

A small plane crashed in a popular Brazilian town Tourists on Sunday, killing all ten passengers on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground. Brazil The Civil Defense Agency said.

The agency said in a post on the X website that the plane hit the chimney of a house and then the second floor of the building before crashing into a mobile phone store in a large residential neighborhood in Gramado. More than a dozen people on the ground were taken to hospitals with injuries including smoke inhalation, and two of them were said to be in critical condition.

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The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

Local media reported that the plane was piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman who was traveling with his family to Sao Paulo state. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that the 61-year-old man was on board the plane, adding that he was traveling with his wife, their three daughters, several other family members and another company employee, who died in the accident. .

“In this moment of intense pain, we are extremely grateful for the expressions of solidarity and love we have received from friends, colleagues and the community,” the statement read. “We also express our solidarity with those affected by this incident in the region.”

Security cameras filmed the small Piper plane leaving Canela Airport in Rio Grande do Sul state, minutes before it crashed in Gramado, which is about 10 kilometers from the airport.

Gramado is located in the Serra Gaucha Mountains and is popular with Brazilian tourists who enjoy the cool weather, hiking spots, and traditional architecture. The city was settled by large numbers of German and Italian immigrants in the 19th century, and is a popular place for Christmas holidays.