No fewer than 13 people, including Diógenes Quintero, a member of the House of Representatives for Catatumbo and a well-known social leader who was campaigning for re-election, died in a plane crash in Colombia.
The aircraft, registered HK-4709, departed Cúcuta Airport at about 11:42 a.m. local time and was en route to Ocaña, a city near the Venezuelan border.
According to authorities, contact with the aircraft was lost shortly after take-off, approximately 11 minutes before it was scheduled to land in Ocaña, raising immediate concern and prompting the activation of emergency response and search protocols.
In a statement shared on social media yesterday, authorities said emergency protocols were immediately activated to locate the aircraft, and investigations began in the area where its signal was last detected. Initial aerial searches were unsuccessful due to adverse weather conditions in the region.
The statement read, “At about 4:10 p.m., local residents reported sightings and traces of the aircraft in the Curásica rural community of La Playa de Belén. Acting swiftly on the information, authorities launched a coordinated operation involving the Aerospace Force, the National Army, and the Police, working alongside the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aeronautics, SATENA, and SEARCA, which subsequently confirmed that the aircraft had crashed.”
“On board the aircraft were 13 passengers (including one Member of the House of Representatives and a candidate for re-election) and 2 crew members, all of whom lost their lives.”
Reacting to the incident, President Gustavo Petro Urrego directed the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority, and other relevant agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the tragic crash.
The President also expressed the government’s deep regret over the incident, offering heartfelt condolences and solidarity to the families and friends of the victims, and extending the same sympathy to the Honourable House of Representatives.
