The state governor said the chances of finding survivors were "practically nil", while a fire official said more may have been killed on the ground.

The TAM airlines Airbus A320 was travelling to the city from Porto Alegre in the south of the country. It is thought to have slid off the end of the runway as it landed in very wet conditions.

Brazilian television has been showing pictures of a major fire at the scene and the emergency services have arrived in large numbers to deal with the aftermath of the accident.

On Monday afternoon, a smaller plane skidded off the runway onto the nearby grass in similar conditions.