At least 66 people have been confirmed dead, with dozens injured, after a military aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in southern Colombia.
Air force commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said the aircraft was carrying 114 army personnel along with 11 crew members at the time of the crash.
The plane, a US-made Lockheed C-130 Hercules used for troop transport, went down near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province.
Emergency responders deployed to the scene were seen combing through the wreckage in search of survivors, while investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
Pedro Sánchez described the incident as “a tragic accident” that occurred during takeoff while the aircraft was transporting security personnel. He also noted that the crash, which happened near the Peru border, was “deeply sad for the country.”
He later revealed that ammunition on board detonated following a fire on the aircraft, worsening the impact of the crash.
A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers, six air force personnel, and two police officers were among the dead, while other sources, including Reuters, confirmed a total of 66 fatalities.
The incident is considered one of the deadliest air disasters in recent history involving Colombia’s Air Force.
Images from local media showed thick smoke rising from the crash site, with military trucks transporting personnel to the area. Footage also indicated that local residents assisted in evacuating injured soldiers, in some cases using motorbikes to take them to nearby hospitals.
President Gustavo Petro reacted on X, describing the घटना as “horrendous” and saying it “should not have happened.” He also blamed bureaucratic delays for slowing efforts to modernise the country’s military equipment and aircraft.
“I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake,” he wrote, without specifying the exact cause of the crash.
The tragedy follows a similar incident last month, when another C-130 Hercules aircraft operated by the Bolivian Air Force crashed in western Bolivia, killing at least 20 people.
