Passenger dies after falling from stairs as she got off plane in Brazil

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and NATALIA PENZA Published: 20:11, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 20:11, 1 June 2026 A passenger died after falling from aircraft stairs as she disembarked a plane at one of Brazil's busiest airports. The unnamed woman, 72, had arrived on Latam flight LA3785 at Congonhas Airport, one of São Paulo's two main airports, from Ribeirão Preto in the northeastern region of the state.  She is understood to have suffered the fall upon arrival and was rushed to the hospital after being assisted at the scene. The woman is understood to have passed away just after midday yesterday at the private Alemao Osvaldo Cruz Hospital in São Paulo, two days after the accident.  Local reports said she had been admitted after her fall with a skull bleed. Latam Airlines Brasil said in a statement this afternoon: 'On Friday, a passenger suffered a fall while descending the stairs during disembarkation from flight LA 3785 (Ribeirao Preto to Congonhas). 'She was assisted by an ambulance and taken to a local hospital for treatment, accompanied by a company employee who remained on site until the family arrived. 'LATAM deeply regrets the passenger's death and extends its condolences to her family. The unnamed woman, 72, had arrived on Latam flight LA3785 at Congonhas Airport, one of São Paulo's two main airports (Pictured: Stock image of Latam plane at Congonhas Airport) 'The airline emphasizes that it followed all protocols established for this type of situation, reiterating that it adopts all possible safety measures, both technical and operational, to ensure a safe journey for everyone.' Until 1985, Congonhas was São Paulo's main airport, operating domestic flights as well as international service to neighbouring countries, including Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. Since the opening of Guarulhos Airport that year, international flights no longer operate from Congonhas, but it remains important to the city for regional and short-distance domestic flights. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.