A CHINESE architect and two Brazilian filmmakers were among four killed when a light plane slammed into the ground and exploded in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands.
The plane went down during a landing maneuver on Tuesday night, exploding on impact and leaving the victims’ bodies charred.
G1The site of a plane crash site in the vast wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil[/caption]
ReutersThe aircraft went down during a landing maneuver on Tuesday, killing four people[/caption]
APArchitect Yu Kongjian died in the horror crash[/caption]
GettyThe plane in question was a Cessna 175 (stock)[/caption]
The accident happened at Barra Mansa farm, a tourist hotspot in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul — famous as a filming location for the hit soap ‘Pantanal’.
Killed in the crash were Chinese architect Kongjian Yu, documentary filmmakers Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr., and pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros, who owned the aircraft.
According to the Fire Department, the Cessna 175 — built in 1958 and registered PT-BAN — spun out of control as it approached the runway.
Firefighters rushed to the scene with a tractor and water truck but the aircraft was already engulfed in flames.
“The bodies of the four victims were charred,” officials confirmed, adding that the rescue operation lasted nine hours due to rough terrain and difficult access.
Yu, a professor at Peking University and director of the giant landscape architecture firm Turenscape, was hailed as one of the greatest architects of his generation.
He created the revolutionary “sponge city” concept, designing urban landscapes to absorb floodwaters and reduce climate risks.
Just days earlier, Yu had been a star attraction at the São Paulo Architecture Biennial.
He then traveled to the Pantanal region to work on a documentary called Sponge Planet, exploring his groundbreaking ideas.
Yu’s vision has shaped more than 70 Chinese cities, and he also advised Beijing’s government on adapting to climate change.
Ferraz, a leading documentary director, was best known for Dossiê Chapecó: O Jogo por Trás da Tragédia, nominated for an International Emmy, and his work on the sports series To Win or To Win for Arab giant MBC/Shahid.
Cinematographer and producer Crispim Jr. was equally respected, with credits across Discovery Channel, National Geographic, TV Globo and more.
He also founded the production house Poseídos, which ran for nearly two decades.
Pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros, who ran local flights in the region, lived in Aquidauana and leaves behind two children.
Friends described him as highly experienced in navigating the Pantanal skies.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) confirmed that its accident investigation unit SERIPA IV has launched a probe.
The FAB said in a statement: “Qualified and accredited professionals apply specific techniques for collecting and confirming data, preserving elements, initial verification of damage caused to the aircraft or by the aircraft, in addition to gathering other information necessary for the investigation.”
The Civil Police of Mato Grosso do Sul also dispatched forensic teams to the site.
Authorities confirmed the Cessna was only authorised for daytime visual flights — not air taxi services.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
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