Lawmaker Diógenes Quintero, who was serving as the peace representative for Colombia’s Catatumbo region, and 14 others were killed on Wednesday, January 28, when a Satena airline aircraft crashed while flying from Cúcuta to Ocaña in northeastern Colombia, according to reports. There were no survivors.
Among those on board were Carlos Salcedo, a candidate for the same peace representative position, members of Quintero’s staff, and two crew members. The crash occurred in Curasica, a rural area in the municipality of Playa de Belén, in the Norte de Santander department, within the Catatumbo region.
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The accident was confirmed by the Unified Command Post (PMU), comprising the Civil Aeronautics Authority and the Ministry of Transportation, after the aircraft went missing. The plane took off from Camilo Daza Airport in Cúcuta at 11:42 am local time and was scheduled to land in Ocaña at 12:05 pm.
Visuals From Crash Site
The aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900 (registration HK4709), was leased from Satena by the private company Searca. The last communication with the plane was recorded at 11:54 am, around 12 minutes after takeoff. The flight normally takes about 25 minutes.
The last detected coordinates placed the aircraft in a mountainous area between the municipalities of Playa de Belén and Hacarí. In the mid-afternoon, Satena said the aircraft’s flight autonomy was exhausted at 2:00 pm and confirmed that the emergency locator transmitter had not been activated.
Following the disappearance, three Colombian Air Force aircraft and two planes from Searca were deployed to search the area. The Civil Aeronautics Authority and the Ministry of Transportation launched a coordinated search operation and activated a unified command post. After 4:00 pm, with assistance from local residents, authorities confirmed the crash.
List of the Deceased
María Álvarez BarbosaCarlos M. SalcedoRolando Peñaloza GualdrónMaría Díaz RodríguezMaira Avendaño RincónAnayisel QuinteroKaren Parales VeraAnirley Julio OsorioGineth RincónDiógenes Quintero AmayaNatalia Acosta SalcedoMaira Sánchez CriadoJuan Pacheco MejíaCaptain Miguel VanegasCaptain José de la Vega
The Ministry of Transportation said it is too early to determine the cause of the crash. While some local media reports have cited adverse weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, as a possible factor, authorities stressed that the investigation will take time.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority said the aircraft was manufactured in 1995, had logged around 32,000 flight hours, and held valid operating permits. Authorities confirmed that an investigation team will travel to Ocaña early Thursday before proceeding to the crash site. Transport Minister María Fernanda Rojas has urged residents of Curasica not to disturb the wreckage to avoid interfering with the investigation.