A twin-propeller aircraft carrying 15 people, including Colombian lawmaker Diogenes Quintero, has crashed in a mountainous region near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, killing everyone on board.
According to aviation authorities, the aircraft departed from the border city of Cúcuta and lost contact with air traffic control shortly before it was due to land in the nearby town of Ocaña.
“There are no survivors,” an official of Colombia’s aviation authority confirmed.
The plane was transporting 13 passengers and two crew members.
The crash occurred in a notoriously difficult area, with the Cúcuta region known for its rugged terrain, rapidly changing weather conditions and pockets controlled by Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), all of which complicate rescue and recovery operations.
In a separate report, NDTV said the Colombian government immediately deployed Air Force units to locate the wreckage and recover the bodies of the victims.
Local parliamentarian Wilmer Carrillo expressed deep concern over the tragedy, confirming that several political figures were on board.
“We have received with concern the information about the air accident in which my colleague, Diogenes Quintero, Carlos Salcedo and their teams were travelling,” Carrillo said.
Quintero was a serving member of Colombia’s Chamber of Deputies, while Salcedo was a political candidate ahead of upcoming elections.
Authorities have yet to release details on the cause of the crash, but investigations are underway.
The incident adds to Colombia’s troubling history of fatal aviation accidents involving prominent figures. Early last year, a private plane crashed in central-eastern Colombia, killing all six people on board, including popular singer Yeison Jiménez.
Officials say further updates will be provided as search teams complete recovery efforts and investigators analyze flight data.
