A small passenger plane crashed in northeast Colombia on Wednesday, killing all 15 people on board, including a sitting lawmaker and a congressional candidate, officials said. The Beechcraft 1900 turboprop, operated for state airline Satena, had taken off from Cúcuta near the Venezuelan border en route to Ocana when it lost contact with air traffic control shortly into the flight.
Authorities later located the wreckage in the rural region of Playa de Belén in Norte de Santander, a mountainous area known for coca cultivation and the presence of illegal armed groups. Among the victims were Diogenes Quintero, a member of Colombia's Chamber of Representatives representing a peace constituency, and Carlos Salcedo, a physician and candidate for a congressional seat, along with other passengers and two crew members.
Satena confirmed that all aboard (13 passengers and 2 crew) were killed, and rescue teams recovered the remains at the crash site. Colombian transport and aviation authorities have activated standard investigation protocols to determine the cause of the accident, but no official findings have yet been released.
<social>https://x.com/AerolineaSatena/status/2016637577407643956?s=20</social>