Plane crash kills 16 in Brazil

A twin-engine plane has crashed near Recife city in northeastern Brazil, killing all of its 16 passengers on board, Brazilian officials say. The small air craft operated by Brazil's Noar Airlines took off from Recife airport and was headed towards Rio Grande do Norte's capital, Natal, the Brazilian air force said on Wednesday. According to the Brazilian air force, the pilot reported a problem just a few minutes after takeoff and requested an emergency landing, AFP reported. The plane thereafter crashed on wasteland between two Recife neighborhoods, Piedade and Boa Viagem. “Here were no survivals and all 16 passengers were killed in a failed emergency landing near Boa Viagem beach,” a spokesman for the Recife fire department said. On April 22, seven people were killed when a twin-engine light aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in northwestern Brazil. The plane went down near the Eduardo Gomes International Airport's runaway.