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A small aircraft crashed Wednesday in a rural space of the Norte de Santander division in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 folks on board, together with an area lawmaker, authorities mentioned.
Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight, mentioned native officers in the neighborhood of Curasica notified authorities about the place the aircraft had gone down, and a rescue crew was deployed to “assess the situation of the passengers.”
Colombia’s Transportation Ministry later launched an announcement saying that “as soon as the plane was positioned on website, authorities regrettably confirmed that there have been no survivors.”
The plane, which has a registration variety of HK4709, took off at 11:42 a.m. native time from the airport in Cúcuta, the division’s capital, sure for Ocaña, a municipality surrounded by mountains, on a flight that usually lasts about 40 minutes.
The plane’s remaining contact with air site visitors management got here minutes after takeoff, in line with an announcement launched by Satena.
Officers didn’t present a trigger for the crash, however mentioned there could be an investigation.
The small aircraft was carrying two crew members and 13 passengers, together with lawmaker Diógenes Quintero, who represents the victims of the interior armed battle in his area, the airline mentioned. Members of Quintero’s crew have been additionally aboard the aircraft, in addition to Carlos Salcedo, a candidate within the upcoming congressional elections in March.
“Right this moment, life took two of this crew’s members: Diógenes Quintero, a person who devoted his life to serving these most in want, and Natalia Acosta, who at all times sorted your entire crew and crammed each area with happiness,” reads an announcement from Quintero’s crew posted to social media.
Quintero was a famend human rights defender within the troubled border area with Venezuela, the place he was from and the place the accident occurred.
A lawyer by occupation, he was elected in 2022 as considered one of 16 representatives within the decrease chamber to signify the greater than 9 million victims of Colombia’s decades-long armed battle. The seats have been created as a part of a landmark 2016 peace settlement between the Colombian authorities and the nation’s largest guerrilla group, generally known as the FARC.
His social gathering, the U Social gathering, expressed its regret for his demise and mentioned he was “a pacesetter dedicated to his area, with a agency vocation for service.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro mentioned in a publish on X that he was “deeply sorry for these deaths.”
“My full solidarity to their households, and should they relaxation in peace,” he mentioned within the publish.
Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez mentioned in a social media publish that she mourned the demise of Quintero and her “heartfelt condolences exit to the households who’re mourning this irreparable loss that has plunged your entire nation into mourning.”
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