Yeison Jiménez, one of the most popular Colombian singer-songwriters in Latin America, is among six people confirmed to have lost their lives in a fiery plane crash that has left authorities stunned.
The crash occurred on Saturday (January 10), just minutes after takeoff from Paipa Airport in Colombia’s Tundama Province as the 34-year-old and his crew were en route to a concert scheduled in the town of Marinilla near Medellín.
Highlights
- Colombian singer Yeison Jiménez, 34, and five others lost their lives in a plane crash after departing Paipa Airport.
- The singer had eerily predicted his own passing in dreams and left a final Instagram post his fans interpreted as a farewell.
- Witnesses said the plane tried to return for an emergency landing before erupting in flames.
Tragically, the aircraft burst into flames after failing to gain altitude and exploded into pieces, fatally injuring all six passengers onboard, including Jiménez and his longtime photographer, Weisman Mora.
The devastating event has sent shockwaves across the continent, not only because of who was lost, but because Jiménez had long feared exactly this fate.
A popular Colombian songwriter was confirmed to have lost his life in a fiery plane crash this Saturday
Image credits: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Yeison Jiménez had predicted his passing in an aircraft crash. More than once.
“I started dreaming about something very delicate, which is that we were going to have an accident,” Jiménez said in a podcast interview that has resurfaced in the wake of the tragedy.
“I saw it three times. I never said this before, nobody knows. Two of those dreams were in Spain.”
Image credits: Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images
In those dreams, he recounted conversations with the pilot and even imagined the landing at Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, eerily similar to the flight path of the doomed aircraft.
“The man shows me everything I had to do,” he added. “I even remember the captain telling me, ‘Yer, we’re ready.’”
Image credits: francobo28
Fans believe Jiménez’s final Instagram post, shared just before boarding, now reads like a farewell:
“Always humble, because what God gives you, he can also take away.”
For his daughter Camila Jiménez, the pain of that post is unbearable.
“I love you, Dad,” she wrote on Instagram. “You don’t know how much it hurts me to see your videos and for you not to be here.”
Witnesses described the moment when the pilot tried an emergency landing to no avail
The plane took off around 4 pm local time. But something was clearly wrong.
According to witness Camilo Andrés Pongutá, a farm worker who spoke with Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, the aircraft emitted strange noises almost immediately after leaving the runway.
“The plane took off, but with a weird sound,” he said. “When it began to climb, it started losing altitude.”
Image credits: Caracol Televisión
Pongutá described how the pilot tried to circle back to the airport, but the aircraft continued to drop.
“He tried to land on a nearby field. It was gliding. But he didn’t make it,” Pongutá recounted.
“It hit the ground, caught fire, had a small explosion, and minutes later exploded into pieces. It burned completely. They all di*d burned.”
Roughly 30 workers had been harvesting onions nearby when the plane came down, just 40 meters from where they stood.
“We heard the motor, but never imagined it would crash right here,” he said.
All six victims were identified, though the force of the explosion left their bodies unrecognizable
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Beyond Yeison and his photographer, Weisman Mora, the crash also claimed the lives of pilot Hernando Torres, co-pilot Juan Manuel Rodríguez, and two other members of the singer’s team: Óscar Marín and Jefferson Osorio.
All six were reported to have burned beyond recognition.
Image credits: Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images
Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the light plane, believed to belong to Jiménez’s own firm YJ Company SAS, was completely destroyed in the blaze.
“Unfortunately, following the arrival of emergency services and the National Police at the crash site, the d**ths of all six occupants have been confirmed," the agency said.
In the hours after the tragedy, footage began circulating online of the plane’s failed takeoff. Onlookers can be heard shouting, “It’s running out of runway!” as the aircraft struggled to lift off before disappearing behind the treeline in a ball of fire.
An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash as fans mourn the singer
Image credits: Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images
Jiménez began his music career at just seven years old and had built a loyal fanbase across Latin America. He was celebrated for the raw vulnerability he brought to his lyrics and interviews.
Hits like Ya no, mi amor (No more, my love), and Se acabó (It’s over) touched on themes of lost love and, according to Jiménez, moving forward with dignity.
Image credits: yeison_jimenez
Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, which could involve mechanical failure, pilot error, or maintenance issues. Early reports point to engine trouble, though no official findings have yet been released.
For fans and family alike, however, the most haunting detail remains the eerie sense that Jiménez saw this coming.
"Premonitions." Fans were stunned by Jiménez's dreams about a plane crash
