A Colombian military transport plane carrying 128 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Puerto Leguizamo in the country’s southern Amazon region, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens, military officials said. Four military personnel remain missing.
General Hugo Alejandro Lopez Barreto, head of Colombia’s armed forces, said: “Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died.” Local government secretary Carlos Claros told RCN television that 81 people were wounded.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez identified the aircraft as a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 and said it was transporting troops from Puerto Leguizamo toward the Putumayo area. Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Sanchez said the plane went down shortly after takeoff near Puerto Leguizamo, a town on the border with Peru. Images shared online and by local media showed a large black plume of smoke over the crash site and soldiers rushing toward the scene. Local outlet BluRadio reported the wreckage was about 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) from an urban center.
Both Sanchez and military leaders cautioned that the exact number of victims and the cause have not been determined. General Barreto said there were no indications at this time that the crash resulted from an attack by an illegal armed group.
President Gustavo Petro criticized what he described as “bureaucratic difficulties” that have delayed plans to modernize the armed forces, saying he would not permit further postponement and calling for the removal of officials unable to meet the challenge.
Colombia has operated C-130 Hercules aircraft since the late 1960s; the type was first introduced in the 1950s. In recent years Colombia has phased out some older airframes and received newer Hercules planes from the United States.
Earlier this year a Bolivian Air Force C-130 crashed in El Alto, killing more than 20 people and injuring about 30, underscoring continuing concerns about accidents involving the type across the region.
Investigators continued to work at the scene as authorities sought to account for all passengers and determine what led to the accident.