Three people were killed after a plane crashed into a building minutes after it took off in Brazil.
Footage shows the moment the small aircraft circled the Silveira area of Belo Horizonte before smashing into a flat block in the middle of the built-up city.
The pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the impact and a passenger died later of their injuries in hospital, the local fire department said in a statement.
The two other passengers onboard were left in serious condition and remain in hospital. No one in the building was injured.
The single-engine propeller-driven plane took off with five people on board from Pampulha Airport at 12.16pm today – roughly three miles from the crash site.
Trouble quickly set in as the pilot radioed the control tower, warning that he had difficulty taking off.
The video – filmed by a news helicopter – shows the plane slowly falling from the sky over the bustling city, casting shadows unnervingly close to the buildings it passes.
It disappears from view behind an apartment block, only to reappear as it careers into another low-rise residential building.
The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash this afternoon while the three other passengers were left in serious condition and are now being treated in hospital
The plane careered into the low rise flatblock leaving a giant hole in the stairwell and narrowly missing occupied flats
The crash happened the Silveira area of Belo Horizonte nine minutes after the plane took off about three miles away at Pampulha Airport
Emergency services were called to the scene at 12.25pm, only nine minutes after take off.
Lieutenant Raul of the Fire Department said: ‘It [the aircraft] hit between the third and fourth floors, in the stairwell.
‘If it had hit the sides, it could have struck some residences; those apartments were occupied.
‘What we saw was the structure of the aircraft projected inside the stairwell, without hitting any other apartments.’
Avani Soares, a resident in the building, said she thought ‘the world had ended’ when the plane clattered into the flat block.
She told Globo: ‘Everything went dark, a lot of debris fell, and I thought, “The world has ended.” On the other floor, there were people screaming for help. I didn’t know what to do’.
She added: ‘Then I ran to the window because it had gone completely dark. Then I saw it and said, “It can’t be, a plane.”
‘There was a strong smell of fuel. I just grabbed my cell phone and glasses, and went downstairs, I didn’t grab anything else.’
The pilot had radioed the control tower to report difficulties taking off just before the crash
Building resident Avani Soares thought ‘the world had ended’ when the plane smashed into the wall. The local fire service said part of the plane was launched inside but did not hit occupied flats
Investigations are ongoing into what caused the deadly crash
According to records from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the plane is privately owned and is an EMB-721C model, manufactured in 1979, and can carry up to five passengers, in addition to the pilot.
The owner is identified as Flavio Loureiro Salgueiro.
Investigators from the Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) are now probing the crash, according to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
Teams from the Third Regional Service for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (SERIPA III) are also aiding the investigation alongside the Civil Police of Minas Gerais (PCMG)