COLOMBIA – A state-operated aircraft crashed in northeastern Colombia’s mountainous terrain on Wednesday, resulting in the tragic death of all 15 individuals aboard, including a sitting member of congress and a congressional candidate. The Satena airline flight HK4709 vanished from radar minutes after departing from Cúcuta Airport at 11:42 a.m. local time en route to Ocaña, a municipality nestled within the Andes mountain range.
Rescue teams dispatched to the remote crash site near Curasica village in Norte de Santander province confirmed no survivors after locating the wreckage. The aircraft carried two crew members and 13 passengers, among them Representative Diógenes Quintero, 36, a prominent human rights advocate from the conflict-ridden Venezuela border region. Carlos Salcedo, a social activist campaigning for congressional office, also perished in the accident.
Quintero had been elected in 2022 as one of 16 special representatives advocating for victims of Colombia’s prolonged armed conflict, a position established through the historic 2016 peace accord with FARC guerrillas. His political party, the U Party, memorialized him as ‘a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.’
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed profound sorrow via social media, stating: ‘I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.’ Aviation authorities have initiated a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, though preliminary findings regarding the cause remain undisclosed.