Brazil presidential candidate Eduardo Campos dies in plane crash: local media

Updated 14 Aug 2014, 3:12amThu 14 Aug 2014, 3:12am
PHOTO: Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos speaks during a meeting at the CNI headquarters in Brasilia, July 30, 2014.(Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino )
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Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos has been killed in a plane crash, local television channel GloboNews reports.
Mr Campos' private jet crashed in bad weather in the coastal city of Santos, just south of Sao Paulo, as it was preparing to land.
All seven people aboard the plane died, the Brazilian air force told the online and television news network.
The plane was en route from Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont airport to Guaruja airport outside Sao Paulo when it hit bad weather, according to aviation authority spokesman Pedro Luis Farcic.
"As it was preparing to land, the plane fell due to bad weather. Air traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft," he said.
The air force said the plane was a private Cessna 560XL, a medium-sized jet.
Television images showed smoke billowing from the crash site in a residential area.
Officials said multiple people had been killed in the crash, but were unable to give a death toll because the fire was hampering access to the area.
"There are fatalities but we still do not have a number confirmed," a Sao Paulo state police spokeswoman said.
Santos firefighters said there were at least 10 people injured, according to Globo's online news portal G1.

Preparing for presidential poll

Mr Campos, the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) leader, was running third in opinion polls with the support of about 10 per cent of voters in recent polls.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled all campaign activities for three days following Mr Campos' death, Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party said on Wednesday.
Mr Campos, 49, a former governor of northeastern Pernambuco state, was running as a business-friendly leftist and had strong support from many banks and industrial groups.
His death could see Marina Silva, his running mate, become the Brazilian Socialist Party's candidate.
Ms Silva was not aboard the plane that crashed, a PSB source told Reuters.
She placed a strong third in the 2010 presidential election and enjoys robust support from young voters and evangelical voters, but her pro-environment agenda means that many in Brazil's powerful agribusiness sector distrust her.
Ms Rousseff is leading in polls with about 36 per cent of voter support. Mr Neves has enjoyed about 20 per cent support and was widely expected to face Ms Rousseff in a second-round runoff.
Brazil's main stock index lost as much as 2 per cent following initial reports that Mr Campos was on the crashed plane, but later pared losses to just over 1 per cent. The currency also lost ground
Reuters/AFP

No word yet, even officially, on likely cause of crash. However, the small plane came down in slightly bad weather and crashed into a residential area of Santos, Brazil. All of the passengers and crew, thought to be about ten total, were too badly damaged to even be identified. It is too early to tell, but it has long been my observation that people on the left seem to disproportionately die in 'accidents' than do people on the right. I hope this is not one of those 'accidents'.

Yes I've noticed that too. I'm keeping an eye out for any further developments.