UN chief offers condolences for victims of deadly plane crash in Colombia

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed sorrow on Friday over a deadly plane crash in northeast Colombia earlier this week.

"The Secretary-General is saddened by the plane crash in northeast Colombia, which claimed the lives of 15 people," his spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres extended "his condolences to the families of the victims, who include a member of Colombia's Congress representing a 'peace district', a congressional candidate from the same region and two humanitarian workers," and expressed his "solidarity with the people and Government of Colombia."

A small aircraft crashed on Wednesday in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board, including a member of Congress.

A member of the House of Representatives, Diogenes Quintero Amaya was known as a leading voice for victims of displacement in the Catatumbo region.

The Beech 1900D aircraft, operated by Colombia’s state-owned airline Satena, disappeared from radar near the town of La Playa de Belen in the Norte de Santander department.

The plane was en route to the city of Ocana in Norte de Santander and was scheduled to land at 12.10 pm local time.