A source from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Euronews that a 48-year-old Portuguese teacher died in the plane crash that crashed in a residential area in the state of São Paulo.
Portuguese citizen among 61 dead in the plane crash in the state of São Paulo, in Brazil, Friday.
The initial information was published by the Portuguese news agency Lusa, citing a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), which later confirmed the death of the Portuguese citizen in Euronews.
“The MFA regrets what happened and is in contact with the victim’s relatives to obtain more information and provide all possible support,” the source said over the phone, referring more information to the social network X where the ministry posted the following tweet:
Gracinda Silva was a professor at the Federal Technological University of Paraná, Brazil, and was traveling with her husband, who also died in the accident.
Portuguese President offers condolences to family
In a note published on the Presidency’s website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent his “sincere condolences” to the professor’s family.
“The President of the Republic spoke by telephone with the family of Gracinda Castelo da Silva, the Portuguese victim, who died, with her husband, in the same plane crash. A university professor based in Brazil, she remained very attached to Portugal, the President presented his sincere condolences to the family,” the note said.
The causes of the accident have not yet been revealed.
Firefighters, military police and civil protection all rushed to the scene. According to the emergency services, there were no casualties on the ground, although the plane crashed in a residential area.
The black boxes have already been recovered, but the causes of the crash have not yet been revealed. However, experts indicate that the cause could be the ““icing”that is, the formation of ice at high altitudes, for which aircraft are prepared with de-icing systems.
According to Brazilian authorities, “there was no indication of an emergency situation” on the part of the plane, which had been inspected the day before the flight.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
