The President of the Republic called the family of the Portuguese woman who died in Friday’s plane crash in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil, which killed 62 people.
Following the message sent on Friday to President Lula da Silva, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “spoke by telephone with the family of Gracinda Castelo da Silva, a Portuguese victim, along with her husband, in the same plane crash, a university professor from Brazil, who remained closely linked to Portugal, to whom he expressed his sincere condolences,” according to a statement published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Luce that there was a victim of Portuguese nationality, a 48-year-old woman, in the plane crash that occurred on Friday with the VOEPASS airline.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of official mourning throughout Brazil, joining the Municipal Council of Vinhedo, the municipality where the tragedy occurred.
The VOEPASS aircraft, a twin-engine ATR-72-500, was flying between Cascavel and Sao Paulo when it crashed at around 1:25 p.m. (5:25 p.m. in Lisbon).
Videos posted on social media showed the plane circling around before crashing with a loud bang very close to some houses.
Portuguese President and Prime Minister Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Luis Montenegro sent condolences to Lula da Silva.