Sawt Falasteen - Plane with 62 aboard crashes in Brazil, no survivors

The aircraft, an ATR 72-500 operated by the airline Voepass, was traveling from Cascavel in southern Parana state to Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport when it crashed in the city of Vinhedo.

Images broadcast on local media showed a large plane nosediving at high speed, while other footage showed a large column of smoke rising from the crash site in what appeared to be a residential area.

"There were no survivors," the city government in Valinhos -- which was involved in the rescue and recovery operation in nearby Vinhedo -- said in an email sent to AFP.

Vinhedo, with about 76,000 residents, is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

The mayor of Cascavel, Leonardo Paranhos, confirmed the 62 deaths on social media, calling it a "tragedy for us all," and said officials were offering services to the loved ones of those on board.

"The bodies are being taken to the morgue," the Vinhedo city government told AFP.

Before an official death toll was given, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said during an event that it appeared there were no survivors, and called for a moment of silence for the victims.

"A plane just crashed in the city of Vinhedo in Sao Paulo, with 58 passengers and four crew members and it seems that everyone died," Lula said in the middle of a speech in Itajai in Santa Catarina state.

In a statement, Voepass reported "an accident involving flight 2283."

"There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred," it said.

ATR, a Franco-Italian aircraft maker and Airbus subsidiary, said its experts were working to help investigators.

- 'Terrifying' -

Nathalie Cicari, who lives near the crash site, told CNN Brasil the impact was "terrifying."

"I was having lunch, I heard a very loud noise very close by," she said, describing the sound as drone-like but "much louder."

"I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realized that it was not a normal movement for a plane."

Cicari was not hurt but had to evacuate her house, which was filled with black smoke from the crash.

"I arrived at the scene and saw many bodies on the ground -- many of them," another witness, Ricardo Rodrigues, told local Band News.

Firefighters, military police and state civil defense were deployed at the scene.

Military police on the ground told local media that the accident had not caused any additional casualties at the crash site, and that the fire sparked by the crash had been brought under control.

The doomed plane recorded its first flight in April 2010, according to the website planespotters.net.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST