In Colombia, a small plane crashed near the southwestern city of Popayan last night, killing seven of the nine passengers aboard, officials said.<br />''<br />''The incident occurred just a few minutes after the aircraft, owned by a small local company, took off from the airport in Popayan, a city surrounded by mountains.<br />''<br />''City Mayor Cesar Gomez said, the other two passengers were injured and were being treated at a hospital.<br />''<span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Colombia's civil aviation authority said it was investigating the cause of the accident.</span><br />