A Colombian Air Force transport plane carrying 128 people crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens more, according to officials. The Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a remote town on the border with Peru, in the country's southern Amazon region.
The aircraft was carrying 11 air force members, 115 army personnel and two national police officers, said General Hugo Alejandro Lopez, head of the armed forces. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the crash on social media, stating the accident occurred as the plane was taking off. Firefighter Eduardo San Juan Callejas told local media that the plane appeared to have suffered an impact near the end of the runway, with a wing clipping a tree as it descended, causing a fire and detonating explosive devices on board.
Rescuers, including local residents on motorcycles, rushed survivors to hospitals. General Lopez said 57 survivors were hospitalised, with 30 in non-serious condition at a military clinic. The crash site was difficult to reach, hampering rescue efforts. Four people remain missing as search operations continue.
President Gustavo Petro criticised bureaucratic delays in modernising the military, saying, 'I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake.' Several candidates in Colombia's upcoming 31 May presidential election offered condolences and called for an investigation. Lockheed Martin pledged to assist Colombia in its inquiry.
The Hercules C-130, first launched in the 1950s, has been in Colombian service since the late 1960s. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
