The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
A small passenger aircraft has crashed in northern Colombia, killing everyone on board, according to confirmation from state-owned airline Satena.
The airline said the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft was involved in a “fatal accident,” without providing further details. Authorities later located the wreckage in a mountainous region.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
Among those listed on the official passenger manifest were legislator Diógenes Quintero Amaya and Carlos Salcedo, who was contesting in upcoming congressional elections.
Satena reported that contact with the aircraft was lost 11 minutes before its scheduled landing in the city of Ocaña, near the Venezuelan border, at 12:05pm local time on Wednesday. The flight, identified as NSE 8849, had departed from Cúcuta, about 100 kilometres northeast of Ocaña, carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.
Search and rescue teams were dispatched to the crash site, and a hotline was established to support families of those on board. Norte de Santander Governor William Villamizar told local media outlet Semana that seven bodies had been recovered so far.
Colombia’s armed forces are assisting with search operations in the area, parts of which are known to be under the influence of the ELN rebel group.
Click Here To Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
President Gustavo Petro conveyed his condolences on X, saying he was “deeply sorry for these deaths.”
A message posted on Quintero’s Facebook page confirmed his passing, remembering him as “a man who throughout his life served those who needed it most.”
Quintero held one of the 16 parliamentary seats reserved for representatives of victims of the long-running conflict between the state and the former Marxist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
