Scores killed as Colombian military plane crashes on takeoff

Colombian Military Plane Crash Claims 69 Lives, 57 Injured

A Colombian military transport aircraft crashed during takeoff in the southern part of the country on Monday, resulting in at least 69 fatalities and 57 injuries, reported by the nation’s armed forces. The C-130 Hercules plane shattered upon impact and ignited a fire near Puerto Leguízamo, a settlement in the Putumayo region adjacent to Peru.

The aircraft carried 126 individuals, comprising 113 soldiers, two law enforcement officers, and 11 crew members, as per military sources. The exact reason for the crash has not been identified, said Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez. He noted that no signs of sabotage by criminal groups were detected, emphasizing that the plane was in proper working condition and its crew was appropriately trained.

“The crash ‘should never have happened,’” Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed, citing the lack of modernization in the armed forces as a contributing factor to the tragedy. He attributed the issue to “bureaucratic difficulties.”

CNN’s geolocated video footage depicts the military plane departing Caucaya Airport and traversing over a rural area moments before the accident. The clip reveals the crash occurred within a mile of the airport. On-site visuals showed dense black smoke and intense flames emerging from the wreckage.

Indigenous ranger Nicolas Ordoñez, part of the search and rescue efforts in Leguízamo, told CNN that several survivors were transported to a nearby hospital. Some wounded soldiers were airlifted to the capital, Bogotá, for further care. Sánchez extended his sympathies to the families of the victims.

Flight records indicate the plane was a C-130H Hercules, an earlier variant of the C-130 series that began service in March 1965, according to Lockheed Martin. This model was provided to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020. C-130 cargo planes are known for their versatility in operating in remote and challenging environments.

This incident marks another tragic aviation event in Colombia this year. In late January, an aircraft crashed near Cúcuta in the northeast just nine minutes after liftoff, killing all 120 people on board, including Congressman Diógenes Quintero.

CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon, Avery Schmitz, and Ivonne Valdés contributed to this report.