Pope Francis asked this Sunday (11) that the faithful pray for the victims of the VoePass flight crash last Friday (9) in Vinhedo (SP). The accident killed 62 people, including four crew members of the company.
The request was made during the traditional Sunday Angelus ceremony, which he leads at the Vatican, and published by the Holy See on social media.
“Let us also pray for the victims of the tragic plane crash that occurred in Brazil. For the faithful departed: grant them, Lord, eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May Almighty God, the Son and the Holy Spirit bless you,” he said during the prayer request (see in full).
The ceremony in St. Peter’s Square was attended by a crowd, including Brazilians waving the country’s flag. “Let us pray together for the victims of the tragic plane crash that occurred in Brazil,” the pope added in a post on the social network X.
The ATR 72-500 model plane crashed in the early afternoon of last Friday (9) while on a flight between the city of Cascavel (PR) and São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos. The aircraft lost lift in the sky and crashed in a residential area of the municipality of Vinhedo, 78 kilometers away from the capital of São Paulo.
Also on Saturday (10), the Air Force Command reported that Cenipa has already opened and started analyzing the data from the two black boxes recovered from the plane at the crash site. The expectation is that a preliminary report will be released within 30 days.
Investigators from BEA, the French air accident investigation agency, arrived in Vinhedo on Sunday morning (11) to assist Cenipa. This is because the plane was produced in France, and will also have the participation of the manufacturer itself, ATR.
VoePass reported that the plane had no operational restrictions and was fit to fly. The same information was later confirmed by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac).
According to the agency, the aircraft was “in regular operating condition, with valid registration and airworthiness certificates”, and the crew on board at the time of the accident “were duly licensed and had valid qualifications”.
Governors Ratinho Jr. (PSD-PR), from Paraná, and Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans-SP), from São Paulo, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) decreed three days of official mourning.
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