Brazil's air force flies the remains of 3 victims of last week's plane crash to their families

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian air force plane on Tuesday carried the remains of three of the 62 people killed in last week's plane crash to a small, distraught city in the country's south where they were to be handed over to their families for burial.

Forensics experts have so far identified 45 of the victims and authorized that the remains of 27 of them be returned to their families, the Sao Paulo state government said later Tuesday.

Eight of the victims had been returned by Monday night to their families. The 35-year-old pilot of the plane, Danilo Santos Romano, was the first to be buried. He was laid to rest on Monday in the city of Sao Paulo.

Authorities were still working to determine what caused the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop of the local airline Voepass to plunge from the sky on Friday with 58 passengers and four crew members aboard. Footage of the crash had shocked people around the world.

The plane was headed for the Guarulhos international airport when it crashed in the nearby city of Vinhedo. Both of the plane’s “black boxes” — one with flight data and the other with cockpit audio — that are key to determining what went wrong have been found.

The air force is analyzing them at a laboratory in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, and has said it will issue a preliminary report within 30 days. A criminal probe is also underway. Voepass and French-Italian plane manufacturer ATR are collaborating with the investigation.

In the rural city of Cascavel in the country’s south, more than a dozen families were divided on whether to hold a mass funeral for their kin or just separate, private ceremonies.

The remains of two of the passengers would stay in Cascavel, while that of the third would be taken to the city of Pelotas, Brazil's air force said in a statement.

Cascavel Mayor Leonaldo Paranhos told local media on Tuesday that 27 of the victims of the crash lived in the west of Paraná state, where his city is located. More than ten families were preparing private ceremonies, he said, while a local conference center would be available for those who want to hold a collective funeral.

The remains of two more victims would be taken to Cascavel later on Tuesday with a regular airliner, Paranhos also said.

Some experts have pointed to the possibility of severe icing on the wings of the plane, which caused pilots to lose control, but airports minister Silvio Costa Filho told reporters Friday that Romano and his copilot made no calls for an emergency landing, nor did they communicate any adverse weather conditions.

Air Force members load the remains of plane crash victims into a plane to transport them to their families in Cascavel where the Aug. 9 flight originated, at an Air Force base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Family members of a plane crash victim stand by their remains during a religious ceremony shortly before many of the victim's remains are placed in an Air Force plane, to transport them to their families in Cascavel where the Aug. 9 flight originated, at an Air Force base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Air Force members carry the remains of a plane crash victim during a religious ceremony shortly before many of the victim's remains are placed in an Air Force plane to transport to their families in Cascavel where the Aug. 9 flight originated, at an Air Force base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Family members of plane crash victims stand by the remains during a religious ceremony shortly before many of the victim's remains are placed in an Air Force plane, to transport them to their families in Cascavel where the Aug. 9 flight originated, at an Air Force base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Air Force members load the remains of plane crash victims into a plane to transport them to their families in Cascavel where the Aug. 9 flight originated, at an Air Force base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray recently turned 27, but he brushed off a suggestion during preseason camp that he might be creeping toward veteran status in the NFL.

“I'm still young,” he said, grinning.

Not really. But honestly, that's a very good thing for the Arizona Cardinals.

Now in his sixth season, the former No. 1 overall pick is at the top of his game. His performance in Sunday's 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams was one of the best of his career. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 59 yards.

He's making great decisions. He's making great throws. He's got a solid offensive line blocking for him. He's got a second-year coach in Jonathan Gannon who believes in him.

Life is pretty good these days.

“Great game," Murray said on Sunday. "Marvelous work out there. Great team effort on offense, defense and special teams. We had a great week of practice. I expect to come out here and play like this when you’ve prepared and you’ve got a great feel for it.”

Murray wasn't the only player who had a big day. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his first two NFL touchdown passes and had 130 yards receiving. James Conner ran for 122 yards.

The Cardinals (1-1) are a work in progress, but the win was an important step against an NFC West rival that's given them loads of trouble over the past decade. The Cardinals had lost nine straight at home to the Rams.

For a franchise that endured back-to-back 4-13 seasons in 2022 and 2023, it was a positive sign.

The Cardinals' defense isn't filled with a lot of well-known names, but it cobbled together an effective performance. Arizona put pressure on Matthew Stafford with five sacks after having just 33 last season, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL. They're very good at safety with Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson and have a strong group of linebackers, led by Kyzir White and Mack Wilson.

The Murray-to-Harrison combination looks like it could be dynamite as the two touchdowns showed on Sunday. But there are still some chemistry issues to work out. All of Murray's four incompletions came on Harrison targets. Both players say they're just now beginning to understand how to best play with each other.

“We left a lot of meat on the bone,” Gannon said.

Edge rusher Dennis Gardeck had one of the best games of his career with three sacks, providing the kind of consistent pressure on an opposing quarterback that the team has sorely missed over the past year. The 30-year-old is a fan favorite in the desert, making the team in 2018 as an undrafted free agent after playing in college at Sioux Falls (South Dakota), a Division II school at the time. He worked his way up, beginning as a special teams ace before developing into a starter.

Receiver Greg Dortch had a quiet day with two catches for 11 yards, but that's mostly because Murray has so many options that someone is going to be left out each week. Baker got turned around on one of the Rams' few big gains, losing the ball in the air before recovering to make the tackle.

Gannon said the Cardinals came out of Sunday fairly healthy. Rookie DL Darius Robinson (calf) has to miss at least two more games before he's eligible to come off injured reserve.

31 — The 41-10 final score was the biggest margin of victory for the Cardinals since 2016, when they beat the Rams 44-6.

The Cardinals host another tough opponent in the Detroit Lions on Sunday. It's the second game of three straight at State Farm Stadium.

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Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) celebrates the touchdown by running back James Conner during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) celebrates in the end zone his touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals won 41-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)