Brazil’s air force flies remains of three plane crash victims to families

Authorities are still working to determine what caused the aircraft to plunge out of the sky with 58 passengers and four crew members on board.

A Brazilian air force plane carried the remains of three of the 62 people killed in last week’s plane crash to a small city in the country’s south where they were to be handed over to their families for burial.

Forensics experts have so far identified 45 of the victims and authorised that the remains of 27 of them be returned to their families, the Sao Paulo state government said later on Tuesday.

Eight of the victims had been returned by Monday night to their families.

Family members of plane crash victims stand by the remains during a religious ceremony shortly before many of the victim’s remains are placed in an Air Force plane — Family members of plane crash victims stand by the remains during a religious ceremony shortly before they are placed in an air force plane (Andre Penner/AP)

The 35-year-old pilot of the plane, Danilo Santos Romano, was the first to be buried.

He was laid to rest on Monday in the city of Sao Paulo.

Authorities were still working to determine what caused the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop of the local airline Voepass to plunge from the sky on Friday with 58 passengers and four crew members aboard.

Footage of the crash had shocked people around the world.

The plane was headed for the Guarulhos international airport when it crashed in the nearby city of Vinhedo.

Both of the plane’s “black boxes” – one with flight data and the other with cockpit audio – that are key to determining what went wrong have been found.

Family members of a plane crash victim stand by their remains during a religious ceremony shortly before many of the victim’s remains are placed in an Air Force plane — Family members of a plane crash victim stand by their remains during a religious ceremony shortly before they are placed in an air force plane (Andre Penner/AP)

The air force is analysing them at a laboratory in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, and has said it will issue a preliminary report within 30 days.

A criminal probe is also underway.

Voepass and French-Italian plane manufacturer ATR are collaborating with the investigation.

In the rural city of Cascavel in the country’s south, more than a dozen families were divided on whether to hold a mass funeral for their kin or just separate, private ceremonies.

The remains of two of the passengers would stay in Cascavel, while that of the third would be taken to the city of Pelotas, Brazil’s air force said in a statement.

Cascavel Mayor Leonaldo Paranhos told local media on Tuesday that 27 of the victims of the crash lived in the west of Parana state, where his city is located.

Brazil Plane Crash — Air force members load the remains of plane crash victims into a plane to transport them to their families in Cascavel (Andre Penner/AP)

More than 10 families were preparing private ceremonies, he said, while a local conference centre would be available for those who want to hold a collective funeral.

The remains of two more victims would be taken to Cascavel later on Tuesday with a regular airliner, Mr Paranhos also said.

Some experts have pointed to the possibility of severe icing on the wings of the plane, which caused pilots to lose control, but airports minister Silvio Costa Filho told reporters Friday that Mr Romano and his copilot made no calls for an emergency landing, nor did they communicate any adverse weather conditions.