Ten members of the same family have been killed after a private jet crashed minutes after taking off in southern Brazil on Sunday, Dec. 22.
A statement released on the LinkedIn page of business consultants Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that company CEO Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, 61, died in the crash alongside his wife, three daughters, and other family members.
Company director, Bruno Cardoso Munhoz Guimarães, was also listed as dead, per the release.
Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.
MATEUS BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty
“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable careers as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the statement read.
“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”
According to the statement, the crash occurred in the mountain resort town of Gramado in southern Brazil. The aircraft was bound for Jundiaí near Sao Paolo, around 700 miles to the north.
The jet reportedly hit the chimney of a building, then crashed into a house, a furniture store and a hotel as it fell, per the BBC. The devastation caused “great commotion,” according to the family’s company statement, which confirmed that the organization would fully cooperate with the investigation into the crash.
Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil,.
MATEUS BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty
Local authorities reported 17 people on the ground were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition, according to the BBC.
Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leite told a press conference that the aircraft had taken off in “unfavorable” weather conditions, the BBC added.
The plane reportedly flew for 3km (1.8 miles) before falling into the urban area of the city just minutes after take-off on Sunday morning, Leite added.
“At the time, it was revving up. You could see that it was accelerating a lot,” eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters, according to the BBC.
“Then there was a bang as it hit the building and then it passed close to my house and then it fell, and I thought it had dropped in front of the house,” she added.
Leite also said that the cause of the accident was being investigated by Brazil’s Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).
The country’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — who recently underwent emergency brain surgery — sent his condolences to the families of the victims in a post on X.
“I hope that the injured have a speedy recovery. The Air Force is investigating the causes of the accident and the federal government is at the disposal of the state government and local authorities to clarify the situation as soon as possible,” he wrote in an English translation of his post.
