A Colombian military aircraft crash leaves at least 66 dead and dozens injured
The accident took place in Puerto Leguízamo, a remote municipality in the Amazon region of Putumayo
At least 66 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a Colombian military aircraft carrying 125 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff in the southern region of the country, according to officials.
The Lockheed Martin manufactured C-130 Hercules went down on Monday moments after departing from Puerto Leguízamo, near Colombia’s southern borders with Ecuador and Peru. The crash scattered burning debris across the jungle. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that the aircraft struck the ground just 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the runway, triggering explosions from onboard ammunition and engulfing the plane in flames.
Sanchez emphasized that there were no signs suggesting the incident was caused by an attack from illegal armed groups.
General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, head of Colombia’s armed forces, confirmed that four military personnel remain unaccounted for. He stated that 66 service members lost their lives in what he described as a tragic accident, reiterating that there is currently no evidence pointing to external involvement.
Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros, in a video shared on social media, said that victims’ bodies were transported to the town’s morgue, while the injured were initially treated at the area’s two small clinics before being airlifted to larger medical facilities.
Earlier reports from Claros had indicated 33 fatalities, as rescue teams worked to treat and evacuate numerous injured individuals.
Air Force Commander Carlos Fernando Silva said that two aircraft equipped with 74 medical beds were dispatched to transport the wounded to hospitals in Bogotá and other cities.
Colombia first acquired C-130 Hercules aircraft in the late 1960s and has since upgraded parts of its fleet with newer models provided by the United States. In a similar incident last month, a Bolivian Air Force C-130 crashed in El Alto, narrowly avoiding a residential area, killing more than 20 people and injuring around 30 others.
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