Rio de Janeiro, 29 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Fifteen people, including a member of the Colombia Congress, were killed when a small plane crashed in the country's north-east, authorities said on Wednesday.

The domestic flight operated by state-owned airline Satena was travelling from Cúcuta to Ocaña when it lost contact with air traffic control just minutes after take-off.

The aircraft crashed in the mountainous Norte de Santander province, near the border with Venezuela. Authorities initially gave no details on the cause of the crash.

"Today the country is in mourning," Colombian Transport Minister María Fernanda Rojas said after Satena confirmed the deaths of all 13 passengers and two crew members.

Colombia's Civil Aeronautics was set to investigate circumstances surrounding the incident.

Among the victims was Colombian lawmaker Diógenes Quintero of the Partido de la U party.

Quintero was a well-known local representative in the conflict-hit Catatumbo region in the north-east of the country, though he was not a leading figure in national politics.

Photo: EPA