HK4709: Politician among 15 people killed in horror Satena Airlines crash near Colombia-Venezuela border

A politician is among 15 people killed after a domestic passenger plane plummeted from the sky and crashed in Colombia’s northeast on Wednesday (local time).

Flight HK4709, operated by state-owned Satena Airlines, vanished from the radar just 12 minutes after taking off from the city of Cúcuta at 11.42am. The flight was bound for nearby Ocaña, a short 40-minute journey that ended in tragedy.

Authorities confirmed the wreckage was discovered in a mountainous region near Cúrasica, in Playa de Belén, not far from the Venezuelan border. Tragically, no one on board survived.

In a statement posted on X, the airline described the incident as a “fatal accident”, expressing “profound sorrow” for the loss of 13 passengers and two crew members.

“We extend our most sincere condolences...and our deepest solidarity to the families of our passengers and crew who lost their lives in the accident,” the statement read.

“We will also make our resources available for humanitarian assistance to their families and to clarify what happened.”

The airline did not reveal what caused the crash and said the plane’s emergency beacon had not been activated.

Among the victims were Congressman Diógenes Quintero, a member of Colombia’s House of Representatives, and congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo Salaza.

“Today, life took two of this team’s members: Diógenes Quintero, a man who dedicated his life to serving those most in need, and Natalia Acosta, who always looked after the entire team and filled every space with happiness,” reads a statement from Mr Quintero’s team posted to Instagram.

Mr Quintero was a renowned human rights defender in the troubled border region with Venezuela, where he was from and where the accident occurred.

A lawyer by profession, he was elected in 2022 as one of 16 representatives in the lower chamber to represent the more than nine million victims of Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a post on X that he was “deeply sorry for these deaths.”

“My full solidarity to their families, and may they rest in peace,” he wrote.

It is understood the aircraft experienced a sudden and unexplained drop in altitude. An investigation is now looking for answers as to why the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft lost contact with air traffic control only minutes before its planned landing.

The crash marks one of Colombia’s worst aviation disasters in recent years.