The six other people travelling with Campos were also killed, as well
as at least four people on the ground, according to local reports.
Air
Force officials said that air traffic control lost contact with the
12-seater Cessna 560Xl jet after it could not land in Guaruja, having
been confronted with cloudy, rainy weather.
It then crashed in the south-eastern city, 43 miles east of Sao Paulo, according to city hall officials in Santos.
Television
footage from the scene showed the wreckage of the plane smouldering
among smashed buildings in the residential neighbourhood.
The
Brazilian Socialist Party (PSD) leader was governor of Penambuco state
before announcing he was running for president in the 15 October
elections. He was third in opinion polls. Previously he had served for
20 years as a state then federal congressman.
In light of the opposition leader’s death, Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff has cancelled all campaign activities for three days,
Rousseff's Workers' Party said, ahead of the presidential election on 5
October.
Rousseff is leading in polls with about 36 per cent of
voter support, while Senator Aecio Neves has enjoyed about 20 percent
support and was widely expected to face Rousseff in a second-round
runoff.
Campos, a former governor of northeastern Pernambuco
state, was running as a business-friendly leftist and had strong support
from many banks and industrial groups.
On Tuesday night, Campos
had been in Rio de Janeiro for an interview with the country's
most-watched nightly news program. Several pundits praised his
performance as confident and authoritative, and said he might rise in
polls as a result.
His death could see Marina Silva, his running
mate, become the Brazilian Socialist Party's candidate. 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.
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