Pilot and his family killed in private plane crash in Brazil

A private plane crashed in the city of Gramado in southern Brazil, killing 10 members of a family.

The plane’s pilot, Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, died in the crash along with his wife, three daughters and other family members, his company said in a statement.

It is reported that the small plane crashed into the chimney of a building, as well as houses and stores.

Local authorities said 17 people at the scene were injured in the accident, two of whom were in critical condition.

According to Brazilian media reports, Mr. Galeazzi, 61, was traveling with his family to Jundiai, Sao Paulo state.

Rio Grande do Sul state Governor Eduardo Leyte said at a press conference that all 10 victims of the accident were family members of Mr. Galleacci. He added that the plane took off in bad weather.

The plane reportedly flew 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) before crashing in an urban area just minutes after takeoff on Sunday morning.

“At that time the speed was increasing,” eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters.

“Then it hit the building and made a loud noise, and it passed by my house and fell, and I thought it landed in front of my house,” she said.

Photos from the scene showed emergency workers dealing with smoldering debris among the heavily damaged remains of the building.

Galeazzi was the CEO of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in Sao Paulo.

The company released a statement on LinkedIn paying tribute to the 61-year-old.

“Luis Galeazzi will forever be remembered for her devotion to her family and her outstanding career as the leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the statement said.

A police official said, “We offer our condolences to all local residents who were affected by the accident,” and added, “We will actively cooperate with the accident investigation.”

Brazilian media said the plane crashed near the center of Gramado, hitting houses, a furniture store and a hotel.

Governor Leite said the Center for Air Accident Investigation and Prevention (Cenipa) was investigating the cause of the accident.

“The entire state has been mobilized here to provide the necessary support,” he told reporters at the scene.

Gramado is a popular tourist destination famous for hosting various events during the festival.

In May this year, the region was severely affected by unprecedented flooding, which killed dozens of people and left around 150,000 homeless.