After sending a message on Friday to President Lula da Silva, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “spoke on the phone with the family of Gracinda Castelo da Silva, the Portuguese victim, along with her husband, of the same plane accident. She was a university professor based in Brazil who remained closely connected to Portugal. He offered his heartfelt condolences,” according to a message published on the Presidency of the Republic’s website.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Lusa the existence of a Portuguese national victim, a woman, in the plane accident that occurred on Friday with a VOEPASS airline aircraft.
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, declared three days of official mourning throughout Brazil, joining the City Council of Vinhedo, the municipality where the tragedy occurred.
The VOEPASS airline plane, a twin-engine ATR-72-500, was flying between Cascavel and São Paulo and crashed around 13:25 (17:25 in Lisbon).
Videos published on social media show the plane spinning around itself before crashing with a loud noise, very close to some houses.
The Portuguese President and Prime Minister, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Luís Montenegro, sent messages of condolence to Lula da Silva.
