Rescue teams find bodies of all 62 passengers in Brazil plane crash

Firefighters and rescue workers work at the scene of a residential area where a plane carrying 62 people crashed in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. (Source: AP)

Sao Paulo authorities said a total of 62 bodies, including 34 men and 28 women, had been found and taken to hospitals for identification before being handed over to their families. Vinhedo Mayor Dario Pacheco said the bodies of the pilot and co-pilot had been identified by fingerprints.

Earlier, Maycon Cristo, a spokesman for the local fire department, told journalists in Vinhedo that a winch was used to remove parts of the plane from the ground.

The ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop aircraft operated by local airline Voepass was en route to Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport with 58 passengers and four crew members when it crashed in the city of Vinhedo. Voepass initially said the plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members, but later confirmed there was one additional passenger on board. All 62 people on board were killed, but no one on the ground was injured.

The accident occurred at 1:30 p.m. local time on August 9. Video shared on social media showed the plane losing balance, crashing into a residential area and bursting into flames. Brazilian aviation authorities announced that they had found the plane's intact black box and experts from the Brazilian Center for Investigation and Prevention of Air Accidents (CENIPA) were analyzing the two black boxes. A preliminary report on the incident is expected to be released within the next 30 days.