Plane crashes in street killing at least three

SAO PAULO: A small plane crashed on a street shortly after takeoff in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte on Monday, killing at least three people, a firefighter on the scene told Reuters.

The single-engine airplane hit three cars which caught fire in a residential area of the city, which is the capital of Minas Gerais state, local media reported.

Leandro Gomes, a Minas Gerais firefighter, told Reuters the accident happened soon after takeoff from the Carlos Prates airport. It is the second plane crash in that street this year, Gomes added.

Gomes said one of the fatalities was on the street and another was in one of the vehicles hit by the small airplane. The third person died inside the aircraft, Gomes said.

Another three victims with burns were taken to hospital, the firefighter said.

The Cirrus Aircraft airplane was manufactured in 2007 and has capacity to carry three people, according to the G1 news website.

The Estado de Minas newspaper reported there were four people onboard the aircraft, including the pilot and three passengers. Gomes confirmed there had been four people onboard.