The crash killed two people and injured two others
A plane has crashed into a low-rise residential building in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, killing two people and injuring two others.
Shocking footage shows the small aircraft circling the area before crashing into the building.
According to the local fire department, the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, while the remaining passengers are in serious condition.
The plane took off from Pampulha Airport with three passengers on board at 12:16 p.m. local time.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at 12.25 pm.
Before the collision, the pilot informed Pampulha Airport’s control tower that he was experiencing “difficulties taking off.”
The footage shows the aircraft circling the Silveira area of Belo Horizonte before colliding with a low-rise building.
Lieutenant Raul of the Fire Department said of the crash: “It [the aircraft] hit between the third and fourth floors, in the stairwell.
“If it had hit the sides, it could have struck some residences; those apartments were occupied.
“What we saw was the structure of the aircraft projected inside the stairwell, without hitting any other apartments.”
Initial reports shortly after the crash indicated that the pilot was trapped in the wreckage of the aircraft before dying.
No one in the building was injured, according to local reports.
Footage from the scene shows a hole in the building’s wall where the plane struck, with debris from the aircraft scattered on the ground.
According to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), investigators from the Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) are examining the incident.
Teams from the Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents and the Third Regional Service for Investigation are also on site to help with the investigation.
The Civil Police of Minas Gerais (PCMG) have also opened an investigation into the crash.
Avani Soares, a resident of the building struck by the aircraft, said she thought “the world had ended.”
She told TV Globo: “Everything went dark, a lot of debris fell, and I thought, ‘the world has ended.’ On the other floor, people were screaming for help. I didn’t know what to do.
“Then I ran to the window because it had gone completely dark. Then I saw it and said, ‘It can’t be a plane.’
“There was a strong smell of fuel. I just grabbed my phone and glasses and went downstairs. I didn’t grab anything else.”
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