Final Smile Before Disaster: Woman’s Last Selfie Taken Moments Before Deadly Colombia Plane Crash That Killed All 15 Onboard
A SMILING selfie taken moments before take-off has become a haunting final image from a Colombian plane crash that killed all 15 people onboard.
The photo shows passenger Gineth Tatiana Rincón Sanjuán relaxed in her seat as fellow travellers prepare for departure.
Passenger Gineth Tatiana Rincón Sanjuán smiles in last picture before the plane crash that killed all 15 people on board
The remains of the Beechcraft 1900D aircraft HK-4709 lie on the ground at the crash site in a rural area of the municipality of La Playa de Belen, ColombiaCredit: EPA
Seated by the window, she was seen smiling calmly into her phone as she took a quick selfie – minutes before the aircraft plunged from the sky.
The Beechcraft 1900, operated by state-run airline Satena, took off at 11.42am on Wednesday from Camilo Daza International Airport, bound for Aguas Claras Airport.
The short domestic hop normally lasts around 25 minutes.
Just 11 minutes before landing, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft.
All 13 passengers and two crew members were later confirmed dead.
Wreckage was found in a remote, mountainous area near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, after a search involving the Colombian Air Force and National Army.
Among the victims were Colombian MP Diógenes Quintero Amaya and congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo.
In parliament, Diógenes represented victims of Colombia’s long-running conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and was remembered as “a man who throughout his life served those who needed it most”.
Former Ocaña councilman Juan David Pacheco and his partner María Sánchez, along with neurosurgeon Dr. Rolando Enrique Peñaloza and his wife María del Carmen Díaz, were also killed.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro said on X: “I am deeply sorry for these deaths.”
Satena later released the full list of victims and confirmed the crew were pilot Miguel Vanegas and co-pilot José de la Vega.
It comes as authorities continue to piece together the final moments of the doomed flight, which vanished mid-air shortly after departure.
The aircraft was flying the Cúcuta-Ocaña route when communication was lost roughly 12 minutes after take-off.
Members of the Colombian Aeronautical Search and Rescue Group remove the remains of the planeCredit: EPA
All 15 people onboard, including a politician, died in the crash on WednesdayCredit: X
Satena said on X that the plane “suffered a fatal accident, resulting in 15 deaths”.
“We extend our most sincere condolences with profound sorrow and our deepest solidarity to the families of our passengers and crew who lost their lives in the accident,” the airline said.
“We will also make all our resources available for humanitarian assistance to their families and to clarify what happened.”
The government-owned carrier said the plane’s emergency beacon was not activated and did not speculate on the cause.
Flight data placed the aircraft’s last recorded position over the Catatumbo region, a rugged area of dense jungle and mountains known for difficult terrain.
Local officials in Curasica, Playa de Belén, alerted authorities to the crash site, allowing rescue teams to reach the area.
Transport Minister Mafe Rojas said officials were “gathering information regarding the loss of communication” with the aircraft.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority said the plane was manufactured in 1995, had around 32,000 flight hours, and had valid permits at the time of the crash.
Its engines had logged 28,000 and 31,000 hours respectively.
An investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing.
