A Colombia plane crash claimed the lives of all 15 people aboard a state-owned Satena flight that vanished from radar before plummeting into a mountainous region near the Venezuelan border. The small Beechcraft 1900, operating as Satena Flight HK-4709 from Cúcuta to Ocaña, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff and was later confirmed to have crashed with no survivors.
Among the dead were two crew members and 13 passengers, including Colombian Congressman Diógenes Quintero Amaya and congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo, authorities said. Rescue and recovery operations took place in the rural municipality of La Playa de Belén, in Norte de Santander, where debris was found in difficult, mountainous terrain.
Satena acknowledged the tragedy in a statement and expressed condolences to the victims’ families, pledging support and cooperation with investigators. Officials said the aircraft had departed at around 11:42 a.m. with an expected arrival near 12:05 p.m. Contact was lost at approximately 11:54 a.m. local time.
National authorities, including the Colombian Aerospace Force and aviation investigators, have been working at the scene and are examining possible causes. Officials have not yet released a definitive explanation for the loss of contact or the crash.
The crash marks one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Colombia in recent years and has prompted public mourning.
