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BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt delivered news of several tragic deaths within moments of Thursday’s (January 29) live broadcast beginning. The latest instalment of the popular morning show was fronted by Charlie and Naga Munchetty, with the duo bringing viewers up to speed on breaking news from Britain and internationally.
They were accompanied in the studio by Matt Taylor, who provided regular weather updates, whilst Mike Bushell offered sporting bulletins, and Peter Ruddick discussed Royal Mail postal disruptions. Within minutes of going on air, Charlie shared devastating news following a plane crash in Colombia which killed 15 people.
The nation’s state-operated airline Satena confirmed the tragedy on Wednesday (January 28), stating that its aircraft – a Beechcraft 1900 – experienced a “fatal accident”, reports the Mirror. On today’s BBC Breakfast, Charlie disclosed: “A passenger plane has crashed in northern Colombia, killing all 15 people on board. The country’s state-run airline has said the aircraft suffered a fatal accident. The wreckage has been located in a mountainous area. The official passenger list includes a congressman and a candidate for Congress.”
Satena had earlier revealed that communication with the aircraft was lost 11 minutes before its scheduled landing in the city of Ocaña, close to the Venezuelan border, at 12:05pm local time on Wednesday. According to the airline, Flight NSE 8849 departed from the city of Cúcuta approximately 100km north-east of Ocaña, transporting 13 passengers and two crew members.
A rescue mission was swiftly launched in the mountainous region where the debris was discovered to “assess the condition of the passengers”.
Nevertheless, Colombia’s Transportation Ministry subsequently released a statement confirming the devastating news, declaring: “Once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors”.
Officials declined to specify a cause for the crash, but stated there would be an investigation. A helpline has been established for relatives of those who were aboard the aircraft.
Diógenes Quintero, 36, a member of the House of Representatives for Catatumbo, and Carlos Salcedo, a social leader who was standing for Congress, were amongst the casualties.
Quintero was a distinguished human rights advocate in the troubled border region with Venezuela, where he originated from and where the tragedy took place. His party, the U party, conveyed their grief following his death, stating that he was “a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on social media: “I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.”
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