A plane crash in Colombia killed 12 people on Saturday, aviation and emergency services said.

The Douglas DC-3 aircraft, a twin-engine propeller plane that was first produced in the 1930s, crashed in the center-east of the country on a flight between the towns of San Jose del Guaviare and Villavicencio.

"Unfortunately... there were no survivors," the Aeronautica Civil aviation authority said, adding that the wreckage was found close to Villavicencio.

The Defensa Civil emergency services put the death toll at 12, while Aeronautica Civil said investigators were still working "to determine the number and identities" of those traveling on the DC-3, which has a capacity of around 30.

Aeronautica Civil gave no details on what caused the crash and asked the press to show restraint in using images circulating on social media "out of respect for the victims and their families."