Plane crash in Brazil

Plane crash in Brazil

The crew of the twin-turboprop aircraft belonging

to Noar Airlines reported problems shortly after

taking off about 7 a.m. from the city of Recife en

route to the city of Natal

The nation's Air Force of Brazil said a regional airliner crashed in a northeastern killing all 16 people on board.

The crew of the twin-turboprop aircraft belonging to Noar Airlines reported problems shortly that city of Recife en route to the city of Natal.

 The pilot tried to make an emergency landing in a vacant lot near a beach on the outskirts of the city's center, near several apartment buildings.

"I saw a woman in a window (of the plane) asking for help and it just exploded,'' witness Erandir Rodrigues da Silva told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. "There was nothing to be done.''

Recife Fire Chief Valdyr Oliveira told controlled quickly and that investigators are working at the scene for clues as to why the plane went down.

"The pilot was able to land, but the impact caused an explosion,'' said Oliveira.