Pilot and his family are killed when a private plane crashes in Brazil

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

Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, who was piloting the plane, died in the crash along with his wife, three daughters and other family members, his company said in a statement.

The small plane reportedly hit the chimney of a building as well as a home and a business when it crashed.

According to local authorities, 17 people on the ground were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition.

According to Brazilian media reports, Mr. Galeazzi, 61, was on a trip with his family to Jundiaí in São Paulo state.

All 10 victims of the crash were members of Mr. Galeazzi’s family, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul state, Eduardo Leite, said at a news conference. He added that the aircraft took off in adverse weather conditions.

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

“That’s when it accelerated. You could see it was accelerating a lot,” an eyewitness, Nadia Hansen, told Reuters.

“Then there was a bang when it hit the building and then it went close to my house and then it fell and I thought it fell in front of the house,” she said.

Images from the scene of the accident show rescue workers tending to the smoking debris among the rubble of badly damaged buildings.

Mr. Galeazzi was Managing Director 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.

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

“We also sympathize with all accident victims in the region,” it said, adding that they would cooperate in the investigation into the accident.

According to Brazilian media, the plane crashed near the center of Gramado, hitting a house, a furniture store and a hotel.

The state’s governor, Mr Leite, said the cause of the accident was being investigated by the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).

“The entire state is mobilized here to provide the necessary assistance,” he told reporters on site.

Gramado is a popular tourist destination known for its events during the holidays.

The region was hit hard by unprecedented flooding in May this year, claiming dozens of lives and forcing around 150,000 people from their homes.