RIO DE JANEIRO, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A small single-engine aircraft crashed into a residential building in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Brazil's Minas Gerais state on Monday, killing the pilot and one passenger, the local fire department said.

The plane lost control shortly after takeoff and struck the stairwell of a building before plummeting into a parking lot. Three others on board were injured and taken to hospital. No casualties have been reported inside the building, the department added.

The aircraft, an EMB-721C manufactured in 1979, had just taken off from the nearby Pampulha Airport. The pilot reportedly told the tower he had encountered difficulties during takeoff. ■