Colombian Satena Plane Missing with 15 Aboard

A small passenger plane operated by Colombia's state-owned Satena airline vanished from radar Wednesday morning during a domestic flight in the northeast of the country, prompting an urgent search operation by aviation and military authorities. The aircraft, carrying 15 people including two political candidates, lost communication with air traffic control shortly after takeoff from Cúcuta, en route to Ocaña near the Venezuelan border.

Flight NSE 8849, a Beechcraft 1900 with registration HK4709, departed Cúcuta at approximately 11:42 a.m. local time and was scheduled to land in Ocaña around 12:05 p.m. The last contact with controllers occurred at 11:54 a.m., according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Radar data placed the plane's final position in a remote area between the municipalities of Hacarí and La Playa de Belén, within the Catatumbo region. The flight had 13 passengers and two crew members on board at the time of the incident.

Among the passengers were Diógenes Quintero, a member of Colombia's House of Representatives and candidate for reelection, and Carlos Salcedo, a candidate for a Peace Seat in the legislature, authorities confirmed. The presence of the politicians...