At least four of the 62 victims of the accident involving Voepass Linhas Aéreas (formerly Passaredo) flight 2283 on Friday afternoon (9), in Vinhedo, in the interior of São Paulo, had dual nationality. Three were Venezuelan and one was Portuguese.
The confirmation was made this Saturday (10) by Voepass. The Venezuelan victims are Josgleidys Gonzalez, Joslan Perez and Maria Parra; and the Portuguese is Gracinda Marina.
“All passengers on board flight 2283 presented themselves for boarding with documentation issued in Brazil,” Voepass detailed.
According to the spokesperson for the Civil Defense of São Paulo, Captain Roberto Farina, a dog that was with the Venezuelans was found among the wreckage.
Farina reported that – as of early this afternoon – 31 bodies had been removed from the fuselage, and 24 had already been transported to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in São Paulo.
The victims are being identified using three techniques, according to the director of the National Institute of Criminalistics, Carlos Palhares: fingerprints, dentistry (dental arch) and genetic tests.
Relatives can help with the identification process by providing medical documentation, such as exams, and collecting biological material for genetic testing, when necessary. Information about tattoos and fractures can also help with identification.
The government of São Paulo provides assistance to family members in the auditorium of the Oscar Freire Institute, a few meters from the central unit of the Legal Medical Institute (IML).
How was the accident?
The Voepass ATR-72 turboprop aircraft was on flight 2283, which was traveling from Cascavel, in Paraná, to Guarulhos International Airport, in São Paulo. The aircraft took off with 62 people, including four crew members, and crashed shortly after 1:20 pm on Friday (9), in Vinhedos, in the interior of São Paulo, 70 kilometers from the flight’s destination. There were no survivors.
The plane’s black boxes were located and sent to Brasília, where they are being analyzed by technicians from the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa), an Air Force agency.
According to initial information from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the plane was in regular condition.
The airline expressed its “deep sorrow” over the accident. “The Voepass Linhas Aéreas team continues to focus its efforts on providing unrestricted support to the families of the victims, in order to provide not only operational structure, but also comfort and solidarity, in addition to contributing to the investigations with the competent authorities,” it published in a statement.