A plane carrying 15 people, including a congressman, mysteriously disappeared in Colombia as a massive search was launched

A PLANE carrying 15 people, including a congressman, is missing in Colombia – emergency services have launched a desperate search for the jet.

Authorities have lost all communications with Satena Airlines flight HK4709, which had two crew and 13 passengers on board, Colombia’s transport ministry said.

Diógenes Quintero, a member of the Colombian House of Representatives, is said to be on board the missing flight.

Satena Airlines said “all available resources” were being deployed to find the plane, with the government also assisting in the search.

Colombian Transport Minister Mafe Rojas said

A jet is understood as a smaller aircraft, specifically a Beechcraft 1900.

The plane had taken off from Cúcuta and was heading to Ocaño, near the border with Venezuela, before it mysteriously disappeared.

In Ocaña, local mayor Emilio Cañizares Plata is participating in search and rescue operations.

Satena Airlines said: “Flight NSE 8849 on the Cúcuta-Ocaña route, which took off at around 11:42 and was scheduled to land at around 12:05, reported its last contact with air traffic control at 11:54 today.”

The flight data shows the last recorded position of the aircraft – in the area in the Catatumbo area.

The plane is believed to have “lost contact with the tower”, airport authorities told El Tiempo newspaper.

The portal reported that Congressman Diógenes Quintero, along with congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo Salazar, were both on board the plane when it disappeared.

The Union for the People political party claimed that members of the teams of its representatives were also on the run.

They said the nation’s military had been scrambled to assist in the search effort.

It is currently unclear why the plane lost all contact – but local airport authorities said the plane’s flight history showed a sudden drop in altitude 11 minutes before it was expected to land.

His last known location was over a remote area full of dense jungle, complicating the search.

The flight, operated by state-run Satena Airlines, is believed to have been affected by adverse weather conditions, a government official said. Al Jazeera.

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