The incident occurred just a few minutes after the aircraft, owned by a small local company, took off from the airport in Popayan, a city of about 270,000 surrounded by mountains. The other two passengers were injured and were being treated at a hospital, Popayan Mayor Cesar Gomez said, Reuters reported.

Photographs on social media showed parts of the airplane scattered atop houses in the area. Gomez said he had convened a working group to assist residents who had been affected.

Colombia’s civil aviation authority said in a statement it was investigating the cause of the accident.