Plane crash in Colombia near Venezuelan border leaves 15 dead, including congressman

A small aircraft crash in a rural area of Colombia’s Norte de Santander province on Wednesday claimed the lives of all 15 people on board, including a member of congress, authorities said.

The state-owned airline, Satena, which operated the flight, confirmed that local officials in the community of Curasica were the first to notify authorities of the crash site.

A rescue team was promptly dispatched to "assess the condition of the passengers." However, Colombia's Transportation Ministry later issued a statement confirming the tragic outcome: "once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors."

The aircraft, registered as HK4709, had departed at 11:42 a.m. local time from Cúcuta, the departmental capital, en route to Ocaña, a municipality nestled among mountains. The flight typically lasts approximately 40 minutes.

The aircraft’s final contact with air traffic control came minutes after takeoff, according to a statement released by Satena.

Officials did not provide a cause for the crash, but said there would be an investigation.

The small plane was carrying two crew members and 13 passengers, including Diógenes Quintero, 36, a member of the House of Representatives for Catatumbo, the airline said. Carlos Salcedo, a social leader who was running for Congress, was also among the victims.

Quintero was a renowned human rights defender in the troubled border region with Venezuela, where he was from and where the accident occurred.

A lawyer by profession, he was elected in 2022 as one of 16 representatives in the lower chamber to represent the more than 9 million victims of Colombia's decades-long armed conflict. The seats were created as part of a landmark 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the country's largest guerrilla group known as the FARC.

His party, the U Party, expressed their remorse for his death and said he was “a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said via social media: “I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.”