Colombia: Military plane crashes with 125 people on board in Putumayo department
The President of Colombia, leftist Gustavo Petro, posted an update on X with the preliminary toll: one dead, 77 injured and hospitalized, and 43 people whose condition is yet to be determined.
(VOZ / Christian Camacho)
A tragic plane crash occurred this Monday in Colombia. A Hercules C-130 military transport plane belonging to the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC) crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport in Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department, in the south of the country, near the border with Peru and Ecuador.
Images released by local media show the wreckage of the plane engulfed in flames and smoke, amid vegetation.
Colombia's president, leftist Gustavo Petro, posted an update on X with the preliminary toll of one dead, 77 injured and hospitalized, and 43 people whose condition is yet to be determined.
"The causes of the crash of the Hercules aircraft are not yet known," he said.
48 injured as Defense avoids confirming fatalities
At least 48 injured were "rescued," reported the commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force, Carlos Fernando Silva, who did not confirm how many fatalities there were.
For his part, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his "deep regret" following the incident. "Military units are already on the scene," Sanchez posted on X, where he reiterated that "the number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been confirmed."
The role of the Hercules in anti-drug trafficking operations
The Hercules is a four-engine turboprop aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Renowned for its ability to operate on improvised runways, it is widely employed by armed forces around the world and can transport everything from troops to vehicles.
This is the second crash of a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in less than a month. On February 27, a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying bank notes crashed during landing near La Paz, causing at least 24 deaths.
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