A short flight across Colombia’s rugged northeast promised only routine travel. But on a crisp Wednesday morning, that promise dissolved within minutes, leaving a country confronting loss and unanswered questions.

A small Beechcraft 1900 turboprop operating as Satena flight HK-4709 crashed into a rural, mountainous part of Norte de Santander province, killing all 15 people aboard, authorities said.

The aircraft had taken off from Cúcuta with a scheduled short hop toward Ocaña, a journey that typically lasts under an hour. Contact with air traffic control was lost about a dozen minutes after departure, and the plane was later found in a remote area near Curasica, where rescue teams confirmed there were no survivors.

Among the victims were the two crew members and thirteen passengers, including Diógenes Quintero, a Colombian lawmaker who had represented victims of the country’s internal armed conflict, and Carlos Salcedo, a candidate for Congress in the upcoming elections. Their presence underscored the human cost of this tragedy for families and communities alike.

Officials have not yet released an official cause for the crash. Colombian investigators have opened a formal inquiry to examine flight data, communications with controllers, weather conditions, and any mechanical factors that may have contributed.

For the region — shaped by steep terrain, shifting weather, and decades of social and political complexity — the moment is a reminder of how ordinary travel can become extraordinary tragedy. Families, friends, and colleagues of those lost are left to navigate grief amid the search for answers that may take months to fully emerge.

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Sources Associated Press Reuters CBS News