A respected doctor and his wife have died after the light aircraft they were travelling in crashed shortly after take-off in northern Brazil.

Dr Ederson da Silva, 68, and his wife, Roseli Amarilda Pechulo Silva, 62, were returning from the funeral of the doctor’s father when tragedy struck.

The small plane came down in the city of Palmas, killing the couple after it suddenly fell from the sky moments after leaving the runway.

Witnesses told investigators the aircraft appeared to take off normally before unexpectedly losing altitude.

They said the plane then plunged to the ground without warning.

Police said people nearby reported hearing a loud cracking noise as the aircraft went down.

Emergency crews rushed to the crash site and began searching the wreckage.

Roseli was pronounced dead at the scene, while Dr Silva was pulled from the wreckage alive.

Dr Ederson da Silva, 68, and his wife, Roseli Amarilda Pechulo Silva, 62, were returning from the funeral of the doctor’s father

Witnesses said the aircraft crashed to the ground shortly after take off

Paramedics treated him at the scene, but despite their efforts, he later died from his injuries.

The pilot survived the crash and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police identified him as Hamilton Lopes da Conceição.

He remains at Palmas General Hospital, where officials said his condition is unstable.

Dr Silva and his wife owned São Lucas Hospital and lived in the city of Redenção.

Images from the scene showed the mangled remains of the aircraft scattered across farmland after the impact.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what caused the fatal crash.

According to the Sun, the couple had been travelling home after attending the funeral of Dr Silva’s father.