Small plane crashes in Colombia; 15 people including Parliament member killed

BOGOTA: 15 passengers were killed after a small plane crashed in northeastern Colombia. The accident took place on Wednesday in the Norte de Santander province, a border area between Colombia and Venezuela. The aircraft belonged to Satena, a government-owned airline. There were 13 passengers and two crew members on board, including a member of the Colombian Parliament.

The Colombian Ministry of Transport said that no one could be rescued and that the wreckage of the plane has been found. The plane crashed in a forest area. The aircraft, identified as flight HK4709, took off from Camilo Daza Airport in the city of Cúcuta at around 11.42 am local time and was heading to Ocaña. However, contact with air traffic control was lost just minutes after takeoff. The cause of the crash is still not known.