Colombia plane crash kills 15, including lawmaker and election candidate

Plane crashes in Colombia, killing all 15 on board (Image Source : AERONAUTICA CIVIL COLOMBIA)

• All 15 people died in a plane crash in Colombia's Norte de Santander province
• Lawmaker Diógenes Quintero and candidate Carlos Salcedo were among the victims.
• Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash

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A small passenger aircraft crashed in a remote rural area of Colombia’s northeast, killing all 15 people on board, authorities and the state-run airline Satena said.

The aircraft went down in Norte de Santander province, near the community of Curasica. Satena said local officials alerted authorities after spotting the crash site, prompting rescue teams to rush to the area. Colombia’s Transportation Ministry later confirmed that there were no survivors.

“Once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors,” the ministry said in a statement.

The plane, a Beechcraft 1900 registered as HK4709, took off from the city of Cúcuta at 11:42 am local time for a short domestic flight to Ocaña, a mountainous municipality near the Venezuelan border. The journey typically lasts about 40 minutes.

According to Satena, the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control just minutes after departure. The flight was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.

Among those on board was Diógenes Quintero, a lawmaker representing victims of Colombia’s internal armed conflict. The passenger list also included members of Quintero’s team and Carlos Salcedo, a candidate in the upcoming congressional elections.

“Today, life took two of this team's members: Diógenes Quintero, a man who dedicated his life to serving those most in need, and Natalia Acosta, who always looked after the entire team and filled every space with happiness,” a statement from Quintero’s team posted on social media read.

Quintero was widely regarded as a prominent human rights defender in the conflict-affected border region with Venezuela. A lawyer by profession, he was elected in 2022 as one of 16 representatives in Colombia’s lower house tasked with representing more than nine million victims of the country’s decades-long armed conflict. The special seats were created under the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the former FARC rebel group.

His political party, the U Party, expressed deep sorrow over his death, describing him as “a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also paid tribute, saying in a post on X that he was “deeply sorry for these deaths.”

“My full solidarity to their families, and may they rest in peace,” Petro said.

Vice President Francia Márquez echoed the sentiment, stating that she mourned Quintero’s death and that her “heartfelt condolences go out to the families who are mourning this irreparable loss that has plunged the entire country into mourning.”

Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the crash. An investigation has been launched as recovery operations continue in the mountainous terrain, where parts of the region are known to be affected by the presence of the ELN guerrilla group.