Colombian authorities have identified the five people aboard a small aircraft that disappeared Sunday while flying over a remote, mountainous stretch of the Chocó region, on the country’s Pacific coast. The missing include pilot Mehmet Cankaya and four women — Perla Costanza Álvarez, Sandy García, María Guzmán and Yuliza Figueredo — who had just wrapped up a volunteer medical mission in the town of Condoto, according to the local mayor’s office.
The women had spent several days there providing free checkups and health education to residents before boarding the single-engine Cessna T206 for a return flight to Guaymaral airport near Bogotá. Local officials said the team left a strong, positive impression on the community during their stay.
The plane took off from Condoto’s Mandinga airport Sunday morning and lost contact around 9:23 a.m. local time while passing near Cerro Tatamá, roughly 33 nautical miles (about 61 km) from a navigation beacon outside Pereira. Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority said an emergency radio beacon activated shortly afterward, triggering search-and-rescue protocols involving military units and emergency responders.
Heavy rainfall has since forced crews to pause the search. Officials in Condoto say they remain in constant contact with aviation authorities and are urging residents not to spread unconfirmed information while the operation continues. The condition of those aboard remains unknown.
Read the full report at El Tiempo for continuing updates on the search.
Source: Se conocen los nombres del tripulante y las pasajeras que iban en la aeronave que se estrelló (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Ken Lund, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).