A Beechcraft 1900 operated by Colombia’s state-run airline Satena crashed Wednesday in the country’s northeast, killing all 15 people on board, including a local lawmaker.
The twin-engine turboprop departed before noon from Cucuta, near the Venezuelan border, on a short flight to Ocana when air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft about 12 minutes into the flight, Reuters reported. The airline said the aircraft’s emergency locator beacon did not activate and did not offer any possible causes for the crash.
Satena released a passenger list showing that lower house lawmaker Diogenes Quintero was among the passengers, along with members of his team and Carlos Salcedo, a congressional candidate in elections planned for March, Reuters reported.
Local media images showed wreckage with significant fuselage damage. The crash occurred in a mountainous area and recovery operations were affected by challenging terrain and inclement weather conditions, according to regional authorities cited by Al Jazeera.
Colombia’s Ministry of Transportation confirmed the fatalities and said an investigation is underway.
Transportation Minister Maria Fernanda Rojas said authorities had activated emergency response protocols and begun gathering flight data.
“We are doing all the necessary tasks, protocols and procedures to address the situation and deliver responsible information,” Rojas said at a news conference.
I’m sure nothing nefarious was involved in that part of the world.. (cough)