Horrifying footage shows Brazil plane spiral through sky before crashing in fireball, killing 62 on board

Horrifying footage shows the moment a Brazilian passenger plane erupts in a ball of fire after crashing near São Paulo on Friday afternoon.

The craft, which can reportedly hold as many as several dozen passengers, was carrying 62 people — 58 passengers and four crew members, all of whom died, according to local outlet g1 , which cited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who asked for a moment of silence during a ceremony he had been slated to lead shortly after the incident.

Lula said during the ceremony, according to GloboNews: "First, I have to bring you some very bad news. I would like everyone to stand up and observe a minute of silence. A plane has just crashed in the city of Vinhedo, in São Paulo, with 58 passengers and 4 crew members, and it appears that everyone died. So, I would like to ask for a minute of silence for the victims."

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Local firefighters confirmed that the plane fell out of the sky near Vinhedo, which is just 11 miles south of the city of Campinas, which itself is about 60 miles northwest of São Paulo. FlightRadar24 data of the flight's path includes a harrowing animation that shows the plane swirling out of control just before it crashes in Vinhedo.

Brazil's TV GloboNews aired horrifying footage showing a large area on fire after the plane went down and smoke coming out of what appears to be the plane's fuselage. More footage shows it drifting downward vertically, spiraling as it falls. No local airlines reported one of their planes as missing in the immediate aftermath of the incident, it was reported.

GloboNews reported, citing Anac, that the plane had been traveling from Cascaval to Guarulhos — two other Brazilian cities, the first of which is in the state of Paraná while the second is also in São Paulo. Hospitals in São Paulo are reportedly being prepped for mass numbers of patients as the fire department, Civil Defense and Military Police are on the scene of the crash.

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The Military Police told GloboNews that the call about the crash came in around 1:30 p.m. near Miguel Melhado de Campos Highway. The plane was VOEPASS Flight 2283, according to g1. The plane was an ATR-72 twin-turboprop aircraft. It took off from Cascavel at 11:50 a.m. and was due to land in São Paulo at 1:40 p.m.

The police confirmed to g1 that there were no victims of the crash save for those aboard the plane, which reportedly crashed between houses. The fire was quickly contained as well, and there was minimal damage to surrounding areas.

In a statement, VOEPASS said, "The aircraft took off from Cascavel-PR bound for Guarulhos Airport, with 58 passengers and four crew members on board. VOEPASS has taken all measures to support those involved."

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It continued, "There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board. The Company is providing support via telephone at 0800 9419712, available 24 hours a day, providing information to all its passengers, family members and employees."

Brazil's airport authority, Infraero, has yet to confirm the details. No local airlines have reported any missing planes as of now. Cascavel Airport has reportedly established an area for the relatives of victims on the flight, but a full list of passenger names hasn't yet been released.

Ana Lúcia, a dog groomer who lives in one of the condominiums near where the plane crashed, said she's been living in Vinhedo for 15 years as she told g1 the incident was "desperate and scary." She said, "I've never seen a scene like that in my life," adding that she feared the plane would hit her home.

GloboNews reported that a VOEPASS flight scheduled to leave Ribeirão Preto, another small municipality just northwest of Campinas, for São Paolo, was delayed because the pilot and copilot refused to fly after the crash in Vinhedo.

The authorities are in the process of identifying the bodies, g1 stated, with many having been mutilated from the explosion. Extracting the bodies has proven to be a difficult task, however, as there is still reportedly risk of explosions from the aircraft.