Pilot and his family die in private plane crash in Brazil

Ten members of a family were killed when a private plane crashed in the city of Gramado in southern Brazil.

Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, the Brazilian businessman who was piloting the plane, died in the crash along with his wife, three daughters and other family members, a statement from his company said.

It is being told that while falling, the small plane hit the chimney of a building, and also hit a house and a shop.

Local officials say 17 people on the ground were injured in the accident, two of them seriously.

Mr Galeazzi, 61, was taking his family on a trip to Jundiaí in Sao Paulo state, according to Brazilian media reports.

Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that all 10 victims of the crash were members of Mr. Galeazzi’s family. He said the plane took off in adverse weather conditions.

The plane reportedly flew for 3 km (1.8 mi) before falling in the city’s urban area just minutes after takeoff on Sunday morning.

“At that time, it was moving rapidly. You could see it was accelerating a lot,” Nadia Hansen, a witness, told Reuters news agency.

“Then as soon as it hit the building, there was a bang and then it passed near my house and then it fell, and I thought it fell in front of the house,” he said.

Photos from the scene showed emergency workers smoking amid the debris of badly damaged buildings.

Mr. Galeazzi was the chief executive of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in Sao Paulo.

The company released a statement on LinkedIn paying tribute to the 61-year-old.

“Luiz Galeazzi will always be remembered for his dedication to his family and his remarkable career as the leader of Galeazzi and Asociados,” the statement said.

“We sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the area,” it said, adding that it would cooperate with the investigation.

According to Brazilian media, the plane crashed near the center of Gramado, hitting a house, a furniture store and a hotel.

The state governor, Mr Leite, said the cause of the accident was being investigated by the Center for Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention (CENIP).

“The entire state is mobilized here to provide necessary assistance,” he told reporters at the scene.

Gramado is a popular tourist destination, known for hosting events during the festive period.

The region was badly hit by unprecedented floods in May this year, killing dozens of people and displacing about 150,000 people from their homes.