BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥� Colombian airline company Satena said Thursday it had not received any prior warning of adverse weather conditions that would have prevented the flight of a but that it is awaiting the results of a formal investigation.
The aircraft, which crashed in the rural area of 鈥嬧�媡he municipality of La Playa de Belen in the northeastern Catatumbo region, lost communication with air traffic control around midday on Wednesday, shortly after taking off from border city Cucuta.
Satena鈥檚 president, Gen. 脫scar Zuluaga, said that communication between the crew and air traffic control was normal. He defended the crew’s skill and said the pilot had more than 10,000 flight hours.
Colombia’s Civil Aeronautics Authority is still investigating the cause of the crash.
The aviation authority stated Wednesday that it had identified 鈥減ermanent adverse weather conditions鈥� at the crash site. However, it clarified that it is continuing to investigate the causes of the accident.
Colombia’s Civil Defense, the agency dedicated to disaster relief, reported on Thursday that the body recovery operation had been completed after working throughout the night with the support of firefighters and the Red Cross.
At a press conference with Satena, a journalist questioned the possibility of an armed attack given the presence of illegal armed groups, such as the , in the area.
Zuluaga recognized that the area is 鈥渉igh-risk,” but said the investigation will determine 鈥渨hether there were any external factors that led to this outcome.鈥�
Who were the victims?
Among the passengers was congress member Di贸genes Quintero, who represented the victims of the in his region and was seeking reelection in the upcoming legislative elections in March.
Quintero was a renowned human rights defender in the Catatumbo region, where he served as the regional ombudsman before becoming a congressman.
A lawyer by profession, he was elected in 2022 as one of 16 representatives in the lower chamber to represent the more than . The seats were created as part of a between the Colombian government and the country鈥檚 largest guerrilla group known as the FARC.
His death has been mourned by members of Congress from across the political spectrum, as well as by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, which described him as a 鈥減artner鈥� in advocacy work for the protection of human rights in the region.
Also traveling were members of Quintero鈥檚 team, including Natalia Acosta; Carlos Salcedo, a social leader who was also running for Congress to represent victims of the armed conflict; Mar铆a Alejandra Avenda帽o, an employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council; and Karen Liliana Perales, from World Vision.
鈥淲e offer our deepest condolences to the members of the humanitarian and social organizations who dedicated their work to serving the communities,鈥� Doctors Without Borders said in a statement on Thursday.
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