BBC Breakfast’s Charlie Stayt shares tragic death news minutes into live show
Thursday’s edition of BBC Breakfast was hosted by Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty
BBC Breakfast star Charlie Stayt shared tragic death news just minutes into Thursday’s (January 29) live show. The morning show’s latest instalment featured Charlie alongside Naga Munchetty, with the duo bringing viewers up to speed on breaking stories from Britain and internationally.
They were supported by Matt Taylor, who provided regular meteorological updates, whilst Mike Bushell covered sport and Peter Ruddick addressed ongoing Royal Mail service disruptions. Early in the programme, Charlie delivered tragic news following an aircraft disaster in Colombia which resulted in 15 deaths.
The nation’s government-operated carrier Satena released a statement on Wednesday (January 28), confirming its Beechcraft 1900 had been involved in a “fatal accident”. During this morning’s BBC Breakfast, Charlie reported: “A passenger plane has crashed in northern Colombia, killing all 15 people on board,” reports the Mirror.
READ MORE: BBC Breakfast’s Carol Kirkwood admits exit news was ‘really hard to say’ in emotional updateREAD MORE: BBC Breakfast star Carol Kirkwood next move ‘revealed’ as she confirms emotional exit
He added: “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 indicated that communications with the aircraft ceased 11 minutes prior to its expected arrival in Ocaña, a city near the Venezuelan frontier, at 12:05pm local time on Wednesday. The airline confirmed that Flight NSE 8849 departed from Cúcuta, situated roughly 100km north-east of Ocaña, with 13 passengers and two crew members aboard.
Emergency teams quickly launched a search and rescue mission 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 verifying the heartbreaking news, stating: “Once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors”.
Authorities have not disclosed what caused the crash, though confirmed an investigation will take place. A dedicated telephone line has been established for family members 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 had been standing for Congress.
Quintero was a well-known human rights campaigner in the volatile border area with Venezuela, his homeland and where the tragedy happened. Following his death, his political party, the U party, conveyed their grief, describing him as “a leader committed to his region, with a firm vocation for service.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on social media: “I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.”
The governor’s office of Norte de Santander also extended condolences to the families of the victims, saying: “We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred following the aircraft accident confirmed in the last few hours in the rural area of La Playa de Belén. We express our solidarity and heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims.”
Elsewhere on today’s BBC Breakfast, Charlie and Naga provided updates from Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to China, and covered US President Donald Trump’s warnings to Iran over a deal on its nuclear programme.
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am
