The senator died along with his father, Luis Ortiz, who was flying the plane, and mechanic Mario Torres when their aircraft went down near Viru Viru international airport in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, Senate President Gabriela Montano said.

The lawmaker, who was a professional pilot, was chairman of the Senate International Relations Committee.u00a0The senator's son, Alex Ortiz, survived the crash, Montano said.