A Colombian Air Force plane carrying 128 people crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing 66 and injuring dozens, according to military officials. The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a remote town in the Amazon region bordering Peru.
The plane, operated by Lockheed Martin and first introduced in the 1950s, was carrying 11 air force members, 115 army personnel, and two national police officers. It crashed during takeoff, with witnesses reporting an impact near the end of the runway. A wing clipped a tree before the aircraft caught fire and detonated explosive devices on board, said firefighter Eduardo San Juan Callejas.
Rescue efforts were hampered by the difficult terrain, but local residents were first to help, transporting wounded soldiers on motorcycles. Military vehicles later arrived. Armed forces chief General Hugo Alejandro Lopez stated that 57 survivors were hospitalised, with 30 in stable condition at a military clinic. Four people remain missing.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticised bureaucratic obstacles that delayed modernisation of the military, posting on X: 'I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake.' Several presidential candidates offered condolences and called for an investigation. Lockheed Martin pledged assistance with the inquiry.
This incident follows a similar crash in Bolivia in February, where a Hercules C-130 crashed in El Alto, killing over 20 people. The cause of the Colombian crash is under investigation.
