Bogota, Feb 07: Fears grew late last night that a plane carrying Colombian minister of social protection Juan Luis Londono and four others may have crashed. Officials said they last heard from the twin-engine aircraft as it flew over the central province of Tolima, en route to Popayan, some 650 km southwest of Bogota where it was due to land around 4:30 pm (0300 IST).

Contact with the plane was lost somewhere between Cajamarca, in Tolima province, and Calarca in Quindio province after it crossed the Central Andes. It had taken off from Flandes, 150 km southwest of the capital Bogota. Late last night, President Alvaro Uribe, whom 48-year-old Londono is close to, was visiting the minister's family and ordered search operations to "continue without interruption until we find signs of the location" of the plane.

Londono was traveling accompanied by his assistant, Helena Bloss, and security chief Jose Joaquin Vega. Also aboard were pilot German Vanegas and flight assistant Alirio Arcila. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane at 3:37 pm (0207 IST). Authorities have launched a helicopter search over an extensive area of central Columbia.

"We have two intelligence aircraft involved in the search and rescue operation," said Colombian Air Force commander hector Fabio Velasco. "If they are alive it's easier to spot them."

"Until we find the aircraft we cannot say for sure what happened, because it may be that it turned around and has landed somewhere," civil aeronautics director Juan Carlos Velez said. Bureau Report