Colombia’s state-owned airline Satena confirmed commercial flight HK-4709 crashed after disappearing near the Colombian-Venezuelan border on Wednesday, killing all 15 people on board, including a Colombian politician.

The airline said the Beechcraft 1900, operating the Cúcuta-Ocaña route, departed at 11:42 a.m. local time and was scheduled to land at approximately 12:05 p.m.

It's last contact with air traffic control was at 11:54 a.m., and it would have exhausted its flight endurance time at 2 p.m.

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When officials realized the flight had lost contact, Satena said aircraft from the Colombian Aerospace Force, National Army, and charter flight company Searca initiated aerial overflight operations in the areas where the last available information on the aircraft was recorded.

The aircraft also searched along the missing plane’s planned route.

Just before 5:30 p.m., Satena confirmed the plane crashed leaving no survivors, citing information from the president of the Community Action Board of the Curásica rural district in the municipality of La Playa de Belén.

The two crew members were identified as Capt. Miguel Vanegas and Capt. Jose de la Vega.

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The 13 passengers were identified as: María Álvarez Barbosa; Carlos Salcedo; Rolando Penaloza Gualdron; María Díaz Rodríguez; Maira Avendano Rincon; Anayisel Quintero; Karen Parales Vera; Anirley Julio Osorio; Gineth Rincon; Diogenes Quintero Amaya; Natalia Acosta Salcedo; Maira Sánchez Criado; and Juan Pacheco Mejía.

Diogenes Quintero Amaya was a member of the House of Representatives of Colombia, according to a report from The City Paper Bogotá. Carlos Salcedo was a candidate for Colombia’s House of Representatives.

"From Satena, we extend our most sincere condolences, with profound sorrow and full solidarity, to the families of our passengers and crew members who lost their lives in this accident," the airline wrote in a statement. 

Satena added it will deploy all of its resources to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims' families and to "clarify the circumstances of what occurred."

The airline is heavily used by government officials and tourists, and connects the capital with small regional airports in the capitals of Colombia's 32 states.

The area where the plane disappeared, near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, is known for its mountainous terrain and poor visibility.

Local newspaper El Tiempo reported there have been heavy rains for weeks between Cucuta and the Catatumbo region, which has seen recent violence — including targeted killings, kidnappings, and forced displacement of civilians.

A viral video showing an Iranian refugee lighting a cigarette using a burning image of Iran’s supreme leader has become a global flashpoint as protests rock the Islamic Republic and President Donald Trump weighs military action against the regime.

The Associated Press reported the 34-second video shows a woman believed to be living in Canada igniting a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – a capital crime in Iran – before calmly lighting a cigarette and letting the image fall to the ground.

The images accompanying this story show protesters recreating the act at demonstrations outside Iran, not the woman featured in the original viral video.

The footage has spread rapidly across social media as Iran’s government carries out a violent crackdown on dissent that activists say has killed thousands.

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The video has been shared millions of times across platforms such as X, Instagram and Reddit, with many viewers seeing it as a stark act of defiance against Iran’s clerical rulers.

Others have questioned whether the moment was spontaneous or staged, highlighting the growing skepticism that surrounds viral images in an age of artificial intelligence and information warfare.

What is undisputed is the symbolism of the act. In Iran, burning an image of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can be punishable by death.

Smoking in public is considered immodest, and women are legally required to wear hijabs. In the brief clip, the woman defies all three norms at once, appearing without a headscarf as her hair hangs close to the flame.

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The gesture has leapt from the digital world into the real one. Photos and videos have surfaced from protests in Europe, Israel and the U.S. showing demonstrators lighting cigarettes using images of Khamenei, mimicking what has become known online as the "cigarette girl" moment.

Iranian state media has announced wave after wave of arrests, targeting those it labels "terrorists" and seizing Starlink satellite internet equipment – often the only way videos can escape the country during government-imposed internet blackouts.

Activists say the regime has intensified repression in recent weeks as unrest spreads amid economic collapse and political instability.

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The AP reported the woman has described herself in interviews with other outlets as an Iranian refugee living in Toronto, and said she fled Iran after repeated arrests and abuse by security forces.

She filmed the video on Jan. 7, according to The AP – one day before Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout. She did so to show solidarity with "friends" inside the country, she said. She has asked that her real name not be published, citing fears for her safety and for family members who remain in Iran.

The video’s explosive reach underscores how social media has become a central battleground in modern conflicts, with images shaping global perception faster than governments can control them.

As Trump weighs next steps toward Tehran, the clip has become more than a viral moment – it has become a symbol of resistance, scrutiny and the high stakes of dissent under authoritarian rule.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least 22 people were killed and 64 injured in Thailand Wednesday after a construction crane fell on a passenger train, officials said.

The crane struck a moving train in Nakhon Ratchasima province as it traveled from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, causing the train to derail and catch fire, according to the province’s Public Relations Department.

The department said in a Facebook post that the fire was under control and that officials were searching for people believed to be trapped inside the train.

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Transport Minister Piphat Ratchakitprakan said there were nearly 200 people on board the train and that an investigation was underway.

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"Nineteen bodies have been recovered, but there are still some inside the train carriages that cannot be removed yet because the crane started shifting, so the team pulled back for fear of danger," said Police Col. Thatchapon Chinnawong, according to Reuters. 

Chinnawong added that those who were killed were in two of the three carriages struck by the crane.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.