Famous Chinese architect Kongjian Yu dies in a plane crash in Brazil

Chinese architect Kongjian Yu, known for his "sponge cities," died in a small plane crash in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul (central-west), along with three other occupants, local police reported Wednesday.

Kongjian, 62, was a leading figure in sustainable urban planning and was known worldwide for his concept of "sponge cities," designed to absorb large amounts of water.

The other victims of the accident that occurred Tuesday afternoon are Brazilian filmmakers Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr., and the pilot and owner of the aircraft, Marcelo Pereira de Barros, the Civil Police reported Wednesday.

The cause of the accident in a rural area with difficult access in the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, is currently unknown .

Kongjian arrived in Brazil this month for the Sao Paulo Biennial and then traveled to the Pantanal to participate in filming of his work alongside Brazilian filmmakers, the Brazilian Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU) detailed in a statement.

The Chinese architect applied his concept of sponge cities "in more than a thousand projects in 250 cities," according to the CAU, "and championed nature-based solutions to address urban flooding and the effects of the climate crisis."