Plane crash in Colombia near Venezuelan border leaves 15 dead, including lawmaker

The crash occurred in a mountainous region known for coca leaf cultivation – the raw material for cocaine

All 15 people aboard a plane that crashed in northeast Colombia on Wednesday have died, including a local lawmaker, state-run airline Satena confirmed.

The Beechcraft 1900 twin-engined turboprop aircraft departed from Cucuta, near the Venezuelan border, before noon, on what was intended to be a short flight to the town of Ocana.

Air traffic control lost contact with the plane just 12 minutes into its journey.

Satena has not yet determined the cause of the crash, noting the aircraft's emergency beacon had not been activated.

A passenger list confirmed local lawmaker Diogenes Quintero and members of his team were among the fatalities, alongside Carlos Salcedo, a candidate for Congress ahead of elections in March.

Images circulated by local media depicted the wreckage with significant fuselage damage.

The crash occurred in a mountainous region known for coca leaf cultivation – the raw material for cocaine – and where illegal armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operate.