A small plane crashes into a Brazilian town popular with tourists and the number of dead is unclear

The Christ the Redeemer statue is illuminated in the colors of the Brazilian national flag in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A small plane crashed into a Brazilian town that is popular with tourists on Sunday, killing several people, local officials said.

Eduardo Leite, governor of Rio Grande do Sul state, said in a statement on X that no passenger survived the crash in Gramado town, and that the plane had capacity to carry nine passengers. Authorities did not immediately say how many passengers or crew were on board.

Brazil’s Civil Defense Agency said the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a shop in a residential neighborhood. More than a dozen people who were on the ground were taken to hospitals with injuries including smoke inhalation.

Gramado is in the Serra Gaucha mountains and is popular with Brazilian tourists who enjoy the cool weather, hiking spots and traditional architecture.