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

Ten members of one family were killed when a private plane crashed in the city of Gramado, southern Brazil.

A statement issued by his company said that Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, who was piloting the plane, was killed in the accident, along with his wife, three daughters and other members of his family.

The small plane reportedly hit the chimney of a building as well as a house and a shop as it fell.

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

Galeazzi, 61, was taking his family on a trip to Jundiai, in Sao Paulo state, according to Brazilian media reports.

Eduardo Leite, Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, said in a press conference that all ten victims of the accident were members of the Galeazzi family. He added that the plane took off in bad weather conditions.

The plane reportedly flew 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) before crashing into the city's urban area just minutes after takeoff on Sunday morning.

“At that time, the speed was accelerating. You could see it was accelerating a lot,” eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters news agency.

She added: “Then an explosion occurred when it hit the building, then passed near my house and then fell, and I thought it fell in front of the house.”

Pictures from the scene show emergency workers dealing with smoking debris among the rubble of badly damaged buildings.

Mr. Galeazzi was CEO of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in São Paulo.

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

“Luis Galeazzi will forever be remembered for his dedication to his family and for his brilliant career as leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the statement read.

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

The plane crashed near central Gramado, hitting a house, a furniture warehouse and a hotel, according to Brazilian media.

The state governor, Mr Letty, said the cause of the accident was being investigated by the Center for Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention (CENEPA).

He told reporters at the scene of the accident, “The entire country is on alert here to provide the necessary assistance.”

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

In May of this year, the region was severely exposed to unprecedented floods, which claimed dozens of lives and displaced about 150,000 people from their homes.