"The six people who were aboard a Cessna 340 A, with tag YV 2402, which crashed near the town of San Pedro del Rio, Tachira, all died," the ministry said in a statement. All six bodies were recovered.

The plane had taken off from El Vigia airfield, in Merida state, en route to Santo Domingo, in Tachira. Authorities were investigating to determine the cause of the crash.