Three killed after small plane crashes into building in southeastern Brazil

A small airplane with five occupants crashed into a building on Monday in the city of Belo Horizonte in southeastern Brazil, killing three people, local officials and firefighters said.

The airplane's pilot and co-pilot were killed by the crash, the fire department said in a statement, while three passengers were rescued in serious condition and taken to the hospital. It initially reported that four people were on board.

Hours later, the Minas Gerais state government said that one of the passengers died in the hospital, adding the other two were still hospitalised and in stable condition.

There were no residents injured or structural damage to the building, the fire department said.

The plane took off early in the afternoon from the Pampulha Airport, about 8 km from central Belo Horizonte, bound for Sao Paulo, according to the fire department.

The aircraft remained airborne for only a few minutes before crashing into a three-story residential building.