BBC Breakfast star shares devastating death announcement minutes in

BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt announced tragic news at the start of Thursday’s live show

BBC Breakfast star Charlie Stayt shared a devastating death announcement just minutes into Thursday’s (January 29) live show.

The morning show’s latest instalment was fronted by Charlie and Naga Munchetty, with the duo bringing viewers up to speed on breaking news from Britain and internationally.

Studio guests included Matt Taylor providing regular weather updates, Mike Bushell covering sports news, and Peter Ruddick addressing Royal Mail postal disruptions.

Early in the broadcast, Charlie reported devastating developments following an aircraft disaster in Colombia that resulted in 15 fatalities.

Colombia’s government-operated carrier Satena confirmed the incident on Wednesday (January 28), stating that their plane – a Beechcraft 1900 – was involved in a “fatal accident”, reports the Mirror.

READ MORE: BBC Breakfast icon shares devastating news as star ‘living with brain tumour’READ MORE: BBC Breakfast star Carol Kirkwood’s next TV job ‘uncovered’ as she quits show

During this morning’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 reported losing communication with the aircraft 11 minutes prior to its planned touchdown in Ocaña, close to the Venezuelan frontier, at 12:05pm local time on Wednesday. The airline reported that Flight NSE 8849 departed from Cúcuta, approximately 100km north-east of Ocaña, with 13 passengers and two crew members aboard.

A search and rescue mission was quickly launched in the mountainous terrain where the debris was discovered to “assess the condition of the passengers”.

However, Colombia’s Transportation Ministry subsequently released a statement confirming the devastating news, stating: “Once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors”.

Authorities have not disclosed the cause of the incident, though an investigation has been announced. A telephone helpline has been established for families of those aboard the aircraft.

Among those who died were Diógenes Quintero, 36, a member of the House of Representatives for Catatumbo, and Carlos Salcedo, a social leader who was standing for Congress.

Quintero was a prominent human rights advocate in the volatile border region with Venezuela, where he hailed from and where the tragedy took place. His political party, the U party, conveyed their grief following his passing, describing him as “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.”

Elsewhere on today’s BBC Breakfast, Charlie and Naga provided updates from Sir Keir Starmer’s trip to China, and covered US President Donald Trump’s warnings to Iran regarding a deal on its nuclear programme.

BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am