A military transport aircraft belonging to the Colombian Air Force has crashed shortly after takeoff in southern Colombia, leaving at least 66 people dead and dozens injured, according to officials.
Air force commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said 114 army personnel and 11 crew members were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash.
The plane, a US-made C-130 Hercules built by Lockheed Martin, went down near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province, close to the border with Peru.
Emergency responders deployed to the scene were seen combing through the wreckage in search of survivors, as authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez described the incident as “a tragic accident” that occurred while the aircraft was taking off with troops of the country’s security forces on board.
He later disclosed that ammunition being transported on the plane detonated following a fire on the aircraft, contributing to the scale of the disaster.
Military sources said that those killed included 58 soldiers, six air force personnel, and two police officers, while other sources confirmed the death toll at 66.
The crash is one of the deadliest incidents in recent history involving the Colombian Air Force.
Images circulating in local media showed thick smoke rising from the crash site, with military vehicles and rescue teams rushing to the area.
Footage from local news outlets also appeared to show residents helping transport injured victims from the site to hospitals using motorbikes.
President Gustavo Petro reacted to the tragedy in a post on X, describing it as a “horrendous accident” that “should not have happened.”
He attributed delays in modernising military equipment to bureaucratic challenges, warning that such setbacks put the lives of service personnel at risk.
“I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake,” the president said, without specifying the exact cause of the crash.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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