A small plane crashed Wednesday in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board, authorities said. Among the victims were Diógenes Quintero, a member of the House of Representatives for Catatumbo, and Carlos Salcedo, a social leader who was running for Congress.
Quintero, 36, was a renowned human rights defender in the troubled border region with Venezuela. Elected in 2022 as one of 16 representatives in the lower chamber to represent more than 9 million victims of Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict, he had dedicated his career to human rights work in the region as a lawyer. The seats for representatives of conflict victims were created as part of a landmark 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC.
The aircraft, registered as HK4709, took off at 11:42 a.m. local time from the airport in Cúcuta, the department’s capital, bound for Ocaña, a municipality surrounded by mountains. The flight typically lasts about 40 minutes. Final contact with air traffic control came minutes after takeoff, according to Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight.
The plane carried two crew members and 13 passengers.
Colombia’s Transportation Ministry said “once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors.” The crash occurred in the community of Curasica after local officials notified authorities about where the plane had gone down.
Officials did not provide a cause for the crash but said there would be an investigation.
Quintero’s party, the U Party, expressed remorse for his death and said he was “a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said via social media: “I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.”