They were joined in the studio by Matt Taylor, who offered regular weather forecasts, while Mike Bushell provided sports updates, and Peter Ruddick addressed disruptions to Royal Mail services. Just moments into the transmission, Charlie revealed heartbreaking news following a plane crash in Colombia that resulted in the deaths of 15 individuals.

The nation's state-owned airline, Satena, confirmed the incident on Wednesday (January 28), stating that its aircraft—a Beechcraft 1900—was involved in a "fatal accident," according to the Mirror. On today's BBC Breakfast, Charlie announced: "A passenger plane has gone down in northern Colombia, resulting in the loss of all 15 individuals aboard. The state's airline has reported that the aircraft encountered a fatal incident. The wreckage has been found in a mountainous region. The official list of victims includes a congressman and a congressional candidate."

Satena had disclosed earlier that contact with the plane was lost 11 minutes before it was due to land in the city of Ocaña, near the Venezuelan border, at 12:05pm local time on Wednesday. As per the airline's statement, Flight NSE 8849 left from the city of Cúcuta, situated roughly 100km northeast of Ocaña, carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.

A rescue operation was promptly initiated in the hilly area where the wreckage was located to "evaluate the status of the passengers."

However, Colombia's Transportation Ministry later issued a statement confirming the tragic outcome, stating: "Once the aircraft was found at the site, officials sadly confirmed that there were no survivors."

Authorities did not specify what caused the crash but stated an inquiry would follow. A support line has been set up for the relatives of those on the flight.

Diógenes Quintero, 36, a representative for Catatumbo, and Carlos Salcedo, a community leader running for Congress, were among those who perished.

Quintero was a prominent human rights advocate in the troubled border area with Venezuela, which was also his origin and the site of the disaster. His political party, the U party, expressed their sorrow after his passing, stating that he was "a leader devoted to his community, with a strong sense of service."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared on social media: "I am profoundly saddened by these deaths. My sincere sympathies to their families. May they find peace."