Colombian Air Force C-130 Crash Kills At Least 66

A Colombian Air Force transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the south of the country, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens, officials confirmed.

The aircraft, a U.S.-made Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules carrying 114 army personnel and 11 crew members, went down near Puerto Leguizamo in Putumayo province, close to the border with Peru.

Rescue efforts underway

Emergency workers were seen combing through wreckage for survivors while locals helped transport injured soldiers to hospitals using motorbikes. Images from the site showed smoke rising and military trucks heading to the area.

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said ammunition on board detonated following a fire and described the crash as a «tragic accident while it was taking off… transporting troops of our security forces.»

Death toll and impact

Military sources reported 58 soldiers, six air force personnel, and two police officers among the dead. President Gustavo Petro called the incident «horrendous» and blamed bureaucratic delays for hindering plans to modernise military equipment.

«I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake,» Petro wrote, without specifying the cause of the crash.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, one of the deadliest in recent history for Colombia’s Air Force.

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