A Colombian Air Force plane carrying 125 people crashed in the southern region of the country on Monday, killing at least eight people and leaving dozens injured. The military aircraft, a US-made C-130 Hercules used for troop transport, went down shortly after taking off near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province.
Air Force Commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda confirmed that 114 army personnel and 11 crew members were on board. “Forty-eight people were pulled from the wreckage with injuries and are receiving treatment in hospital,” he said.
Regional Governor Jhon Gabriel Molina said emergency responders had confirmed eight fatalities and reported that more than 80 others were injured in the incident.
Rescue teams and local residents were seen combing through the wreckage for survivors, while images and video footage showed smoke rising from the crash site and trucks transporting soldiers to the area. In some cases, injured personnel were carried to hospitals on motorbikes by locals.
Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez described the event as “a tragic accident while it was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, transporting troops of our security forces.” He added that the crash, which occurred close to the Peruvian border, was “deeply sad for the country.”
President Gustavo Petro took to social media to express his condolences, writing: “This horrendous accident ... should not have happened.” He also pointed to “bureaucratic problems” as a factor delaying the modernization of the armed forces’ equipment and aircraft. “I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake,” he wrote, though he did not provide details on what may have caused the crash.
The C-130 Hercules is a widely used military transport plane, but accidents have occurred elsewhere in the region. Last month, a Bolivian Air Force C-130 carrying banknotes crashed in western Bolivia, killing at least 20 people. Authorities in Colombia have launched an investigation into the cause of Monday’s crash.