Country singer Rick Sollo and three others missing after helicopter disappears in Brazil

Musician Rick Sollo was among four people on board a helicopter that has disappeared in Brazil, it has been reported.

The twin-engine Bell 430 aircraft had departed from Porto Belo heading towards Sao Joaquim on Monday afternoon when the pilot lost contact with air traffic control, according to G1 Globo.

The three passengers have been identified as Sollo, 59, from the country music duo Rick and Renner, influencer Bruno Avelar and videographer Paulo Soares, according to a statement shared on Avelar’s social media. The pilot has not yet been named.

“To date, there is no official confirmation of an accident involving the aircraft,” it added. A further post said there were five people on board, bit did not identify the fifth person.

This came hours after Sollo posted a video on his Instagram story showing him boarding and landing an aircraft alongside Avelar.

A search and rescue operation has been launched in the mountainous region of Urubici, where air traffic last detected the helicopter.

In an appeal to residents, Avelar’s team urged them to listen out for “loud bangs and noises” and report any sightings of smoke and debris.

The Santa Catarina Fire Department first received a call about a possible aircraft crash at around 4pm on Monday.

At the time, a red weather alert for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall was issued for Urubici.

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“Rainfall between 30 and 60 mm/h or 50 and 100 mm/day, strong winds (60–100 km/h), and hail. Risk of power outages, crop damage, fallen trees, and flooding,” said a downgraded weather warning issued at midnight.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has deployed a Black Hawk military helicopter and an SC-105 Amazonas in the rural Vacas Gordas area to search for a possible wreckage, according to Sapicua Radio Agency.

Lieutenant Colonel Heloisa, commander of the 5th Military Fire Brigade Battalion of Santa Catarina, said about the search and rescue late last night: “The first search point is the point of the aircraft's last communication. A team has already arrived at the location, and nothing was found.

“We also have information on the last cell phone signal point of one of the people who were on that aircraft. At this moment, teams are moving to that location to carry out searches.”

Fire crews are expected to be carrying out searches in the area Tuesday, but the weather conditions are understood to be slowing down the operation.

The air forces added that "the priority of the operation is to locate the aircraft and its occupants in the shortest possible time, concentrating search efforts in the areas of highest probability and continuously adjusting the plan as new information is obtained."

The Independent has contacted the Brazilian Air Force for a comment.