Small plane breaks apart mid-air, killing 7 people onboard in Brazil

Monday, January 29, 2024 – Seven people were killed Sunday, January 28,  in Brazil's southeast Minas Gerais state when the small plane they were traveling in crashed, authorities said.

The single-engine plane broke up mid-air and crashed at around 10:30 am (1330 GMT) in the mining town of Itapeva, firefighters told the news agency AFP.

Firefighters "found seven dead victims (who were) on board the aircraft," the department said in an updated statement. It had announced earlier that three bodies had been found.

The aircraft belonged to a private company and was travelling from the city of Campinas in the state of São Paulo to Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais.

The cause of the accident was unknown.