In brief
Colombian state airline Satena reported that a Beechcraft 1900 aircraft with 15 individuals on board disappeared from radar while approaching Ocaña. A comprehensive search effort has been launched in the region, characterized by challenging mountainous terrain. Reports indicate a Colombian lawmaker may have been on board the flight, which had departed from Cúcuta.
A passenger plane with 15 people on board has gone missing in northern Colombia, state-owned airline Satena has said.
Contact with the aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900, was lost just minutes before it was scheduled to land in the city of Ocaña, near the Venezuelan border, at 12:05 local time (17:05 GMT) on Wednesday.
A search operation in the mountainous area is now under way. A hotline has also been set up for the relatives of those who were on the plane.
Local media is reporting that a Colombian lawmaker may have been on board.
In a statement, Satena said Flight NSE 8849 with 13 passengers and two crew members took off from the city of Cúcuta, about 100km (62 miles) north-east from Ocaña.
The contact with the aircraft was lost at 11:54 local time, the company added.
Colombia's armed forces are taking part in the search for the aircraft, which is in a region that has areas controlled by Colombia's ELN guerrilla group.
