At least eight cancer specialists traveling to an oncology conference were among dozens of people killed in a plane crash in Vinhedo, Brazil, on Friday, an official said.
The twin-engine ATR 72 plane carrying 58 passengers and four crew members was heading to Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo when it nosedived and crashed in Vinhedo, said airline Veopass, which operated the plane.
Emergency crews confirmed Saturday that they had recovered the remains of all 62 victims, including one person who was later reported missing and found on board the plane.
An official from the Regional Medical Council said he was able to confirm the deaths of the eight doctors.
“These doctors were on their way to an oncology conference. These are people who have dedicated their lives to saving others,” Eduardo Baptistella said, according to the news site. Daily Mail.
He added that a total of 15 doctors were supposed to fly to the conference, but seven of them ended up having to take an earlier flight.
The Cascavel University Cancer Hospital confirmed to BBC Brasil that two of its trainee doctors were among the victims.
Parana state Governor Ratinho Junior also said at least eight doctors were on board the flight and the death toll also included four professors from Unioeste University in western Parana.
Brazilian rescuers and emergency teams said the bodies of most of the victims – 34 men and 28 women – were transferred to the Sao Paulo police morgue for identification.
The bodies of the pilot and co-pilot were identified earlier Saturday, said Dario Pacheco, the mayor of Vinhedo.
The victims included four people with dual nationality, three Venezuelans and a Portuguese woman, regional airline Voepass said.
Firefighters at the scene of the crash said authorities were using seat assignments, physical characteristics, documents and personal belongings such as cell phones to identify the victims.
Family members of the victims are being brought to Sao Paulo to provide DNA samples to help identify the remains, state civil defense coordinator Henguel Pereira said.
Investigators are currently analyzing the plane’s “black box,” which contains voice recordings and flight data, Marcelo Moreno, director of Brazil’s air accident investigation center Cenipa, said at a news conference in Vinhedo.
