BOGOTA, Sept 14 — Five people are missing after a small plane disappeared in northwestern Colombia, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday, reported Xinhua.

The plane, which took off from Mandinga Airport in Condoto in the northwestern department of Choco, was bound for Guaymaral Airport in Bogota, the capital.

The last communication with the aircraft was recorded at 9.23am (10.23pm Malaysia time) local time, the authority said in a statement.

An emergency locator beacon was later activated near Cerro Tatama, about 33 nautical miles from the Pereira VOR navigation beacon.

Authorities said the search was being hampered by difficult access to the area. — Bernama-Xinhua