An aircraft carrying 15 people, including a Colombian lawmaker, crashed on Wednesday near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, killing everyone on board, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.
The plane, operated by state airline Satena, departed from the border city of Cúcuta and lost contact with air traffic control shortly before it was scheduled to land in the nearby town of Ocaña around noon (1700 GMT).
“There are no survivors,” an aviation authority official confirmed.
The aircraft was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members. Among those believed to be on board were Diogenes Quintero, a member of Colombia’s Chamber of Deputies, and Carlos Salcedo, a legislative candidate ahead of upcoming elections.
The crash occurred in a mountainous region known for unpredictable weather and the presence of the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest guerrilla group. The government has deployed the Air Force to locate the wreckage and recover the bodies.
The aircraft involved was a Beechcraft 1900 twin-propeller plane. Earlier reports had described the aircraft as missing after it failed to arrive in Ocaña, prompting the activation of emergency and search protocols.
