A twin-engine plane crashed in the residential area of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.
A small plane has crashed into a tourist spot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials said.
The twin-engine PA-42-1000 Piper hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of another house before crashing into a shop in a mostly residential area of Gramado shortly after taking off from Canela, said Brazil's Civil Defense agency on Sunday.
Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a press conference that the owner and pilot of the plane, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.
Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of them are still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Galeazzi's company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi's wife and three daughters had died in the accident.
“Luiz Galeazzi will always be remembered for his dedication to his family and for his extraordinary career as a director of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.
“In this time of great pain, Galeazzi & Associados is very grateful for the expressions of solidarity and love received by friends, colleagues and the community. We also offer our condolences to all those affected by the tragedy in the area.”
Gramado, located in the mountains of Serra Gaucha, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during Christmas.
The crash comes just over a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing the 62 people were on board.
