A passenger plane has crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff from the city of Recife in Brazil, killing all 16 people on board.
The plane, which was operated by a small regional airline, plunged into scrubland near a highway after taking off on an early-morning flight.
According to the Brazilian air force, the pilot reported mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and tried to make an emergency landing on a beach.
One witness told a newspaper he saw a woman alive in the plane after it crashed, but then it exploded.
The plane was a twin-engine L-410 built in the Czech Republic.
