Funerals for the 62 people lost in the Brazil plane crash begins

As authorities continue to investigate the precise reason of the tragedy, the pilot of the plane that went down in Brazil last week was buried on Monday in Sao Paulo, becoming the first of the 62 fatalities to be laid to rest. On the way to the cemetery located beneath the apartment he and his wife occupied, a hearse carrying Danilo Santos Romano's corpse passed through Penha, an east side working-class district of Sao Paulo. 

Clesio Moura, one of the shopkeepers said he had known the pilot for two years before. "He was always humble, even though he had lived and worked for foreign companies," Moura said. "We used to talk about soccer; he genuinely hoped to one day bring a child to the stadium." Danilo was full of life. In the Friday incident, there were 58 passengers and four crew members who died. While the reason of the tragedy is yet unknown, footage of the plane descending while in a flat spin horrified people all over the world. Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho disagrees, stating that the pilots' loss of control was not caused by thick frost on the wings, notwithstanding the opinions of multiple specialists.

The ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop they were piloting for the regional airline Voepass crashed in the adjacent city of Vinhedo while they were en route to Guarulhos international airport. Romano was hired by Voepass as a copilot in November 2022, and the airline informed the AP in a statement that he had recently completed his first full year as commander. It further stated that Romano has flown 5,202 hours on ATRs for Voepass. The company only has one kind of aircraft. Instead of speaking to the reporters outside the ceremony, Romano's widow Thalita Machado sent a letter listing the individuals and institutions she wanted to thank: friends of the flying club of Jundiai, a city outside of Sao Paulo.

Monday morning at a basilica, there was a wake before Romano's burial. The World Cup winner Marcos, a former goalie for Brazil's national soccer team, was present and one of the pilot's heroes. Romano's 30-year-old wife repeatedly said, "I lost a part of myself," during the ceremony, according to two of his friends who spoke with the AP. Following the crash, Romano's body was the first to be released from the morgue in Sao Paulo. In order to aid in the identification of the bodies, the morgue requested that the family of the victims bring in any relevant medical, X-ray, and dental documents on Friday night. The governor of Sao Paulo state reported that as of Monday night, forensic specialists had identified 17 bodies and returned eight to the family of the dead.