Five people were killed when a Bell 430 helicopter crashed in Brazil’s southern Santa Catarina state, with wreckage found on Tuesday in a remote mountain area near Urubici after the aircraft disappeared a day earlier on a flight from Porto Belo to São Joaquim. The victims included Brazilian singer Rick Sollo, businessman Bruno Avelar, videographer Paulo Soares, the pilot and the co-pilot.
Firefighters recovered the wreckage and confirmed there were no survivors. Brazilian aviation authorities have said the helicopter, built in 2001, was authorised to operate. The cause of the crash remains unconfirmed, and investigators are now examining the circumstances of the accident.
Weather may be relevant to the inquiry: reports indicated thunderstorms and severe conditions were forecast along the route as the helicopter headed into the mountain region. The accident took place in difficult terrain, complicating the search and recovery effort.