Small plane crash in Sao Paulo kills ex-Vale CEO, 6 others

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By BNO NEWS

A small plane owned by the former chief executive of mining giant Vale has crashed into a residential area near an airport in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, killing the businessman and six others, local officials say. One person on the ground was also injured.

The accident happened at around 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday when the plane, believed to be a Comp Air 9 aircraft, went down at the edges of a neighborhood in Case Verde district, just outside Campo de Marte Airport in São Paulo.

Airport operator Infraero said a total of seven people were on board the aircraft when it tried to land at the airport, which serves mostly small planes and helicopters. The aircraft belonged to businessman Roger Agnelli, who previously served as the president of mining company Vale.

Emergency services said all seven people on board the plane were killed, and the victims were later identified as Agnelli, his wife, their two children, two other relatives, and the pilot. One person who was inside a residence that was struck by the aircraft was injured.

Video from the area of the crash showed thick black smoke rising from the residential area, and photos from the scene showed that at least one building had been badly damaged by the accident. The Folha newspaper reported that one person who lived in the building had been taken to hospital.

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