A private plane crash in Brazil killed the pilot and his family

Ten members of a family died after a private plane crashed in the city of Gramado in southern Brazil.

Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, 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.

The small plane is believed to have crashed into the chimney of a building as well as a house and a shop when it fell.

Local authorities said 17 people on the ground were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition.

According to Brazilian media, Mr. Galeazzi, 61 years old, is taking his family on a trip to Jundiaí, São Paulo state.

Rio Grande do Sul state Governor Eduardo Leite said in a press conference that all 10 victims of the accident were members of Mr. Galeazzi’s family. He added that the plane took off in unfavorable weather conditions.

The plane is believed to have flown 3km (1.8 miles) before crashing in the city’s urban area just minutes after takeoff on Sunday morning.

“At that point, it was accelerating,” Nadia Hansen, a witness, told Reuters news agency. You can see that it’s accelerating a lot.”

“Then there was a loud bang as it hit the building, then it passed near my house and then fell, I think it fell right in front of the house,” she said.

Images from the scene showed emergency workers tending to smoking rubble amid debris from heavily damaged buildings.

Mr. Galeazzi is chief executive officer of Galeazzi & Associados, a crisis management and corporate restructuring firm headquartered in São Paulo.

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

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

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

Brazilian media reported that the plane crashed near the center of Gramado, crashing into a house, a furniture store and a hotel.

Leite state governor said the cause of the accident is being investigated by the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents (Cenipa).

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

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

The area was hit hard in May this year by unprecedented floods, killing dozens of people and forcing some 150,000 people to flee their homes.