Brazil's aviation agency grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) announced on Wednesday its decision to suspend the use of the Boeing 737 Max 8 model.

"After the occurrence of two fatal accidents with the Boeing 737-8 plane, and due to the similarity between both accidents, it was decided, as a preventive measure, that all operations involving the Boeing 737-8 model on Brazilian airlines are to be paralyzed until appropriate safety measures are taken," said an Anac statement.

Gol Airlines was the only company in Brazil operating the Boeing 737 Max 8. It suspended the use of the plane as a preventive measure on Tuesday.

Gol has seven planes of the Boeing 737 Max 8 model. They were used in flights in the Americas.