Military Plane Carrying 125 Troops Crashes In Colombia, 66 Dead, Investigation Underway
Colombian military plane crashes; 66 dead, dozens injured, President Petro calls it horrific.
A Colombian military aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens more, officials confirmed. The C-130 Hercules transport plane, carrying 125 soldiers and crew members, went down near Puerto Leguízamo, close to Colombia’s southern border with Ecuador and Peru, scattering burning wreckage across the dense jungle.
Authorities reported that among the deceased were 58 soldiers, six air force personnel, and two police officers. Initial reports had indicated a lower death toll, but the figures were updated as rescue operations progressed. Local officials, including Putumayo governor Jhon Gabriel Molina, said the small size of the airport and difficult terrain were complicating efforts to evacuate the injured and recover bodies.
The crash occurred in a region experiencing heightened military activity, as Colombian and Ecuadorian forces intensify operations against drug cartels and local militias. Eyewitnesses described a loud explosion and observed the aircraft flying low before plummeting. Farmer Noe Mota recounted, “I felt an explosion in the air and, when I looked up, the plane was flying close to the house on my plot.”
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President Gustavo Petro shared video footage of the plane attempting to gain altitude before crashing, calling the incident a “horrific accident.” He stressed the need to modernize Colombia’s military equipment, though he did not directly attribute the crash to the aircraft’s condition. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed “deep sorrow” over the disaster, noting it was too early to determine the cause.
General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda confirmed that 114 troops and 11 crew members were on board, travelling from Puerto Leguízamo to an Amazon outpost. AFP images from the site showed locals navigating around the broken tail of the plane, marked FAC 1016, with smoke and flames rising above the trees.
This marks the second crash of a C-130 Hercules in South America in under a month. On February 27, a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed near La Paz, killing at least 24 people. The aircraft type, a four-engine turboprop built by Lockheed Martin, is widely used by militaries worldwide for its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips.
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