AND plane crash in the northeast Colombia on Wednesday, killing all 15 people on the plane, including a local lawmaker, state airline Satena said.

The Beechcraft 1900 twin-engine turboprop plane took off before noon from Cucuta, on the border with Venezuela, on a short flight to the city of Ocan, Satena said.

Air traffic control lost contact with the plane 12 minutes into the flight, the carrier added.

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Satina did not say what caused the accident and said the emergency light was not activated.

Legislator Diogenes Quintero and members of his team were on the plane, as was Carlos Salcedo, a congressional candidate ahead of the March election, according to a passenger list released by the airline.

There were a total of two crew members and 13 passengers in the plane.

Images released by local media showed the downed plane, including what appeared to be significant fuselage damage.

The area where the plane crashed is a mountainous area planted with coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine, and home to illegal armed groups such as the National Liberation Army and the dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.