Colombia Military Plane Crash Kills 66 Soldiers, Dozens Injured

At least 66 people have been confirmed dead after a military transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in Puerto Leguízamo, authorities said on Monday.

The aircraft, carrying 128 occupants, was transporting mostly military personnel when it went down near the airport. Those on board included 115 army personnel, 11 crew members, and two officers from the National Police.

Head of the armed forces, General Hugo Alejandro Lopez Barreto, said dozens of others sustained injuries, while four military personnel were initially reported missing. He confirmed that 57 survivors were evacuated from the crash site for treatment.

“Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military personnel died,” Barreto said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

Authorities have ruled out any immediate signs of an attack by illegal armed groups. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the aircraft was on a routine mission transporting troops within Putumayo, a remote Amazonian province bordering Ecuador and Peru.

Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said victims’ bodies were taken to the town’s morgue, while the injured were initially treated at local clinics before being airlifted to larger hospitals in Bogotá and other cities.

Eyewitness footage showed thick black smoke rising from the crash site, as residents rushed to assist victims. Some injured soldiers were transported on motorcycles, while locals attempted to extinguish the fire.

Commander of the Air Force, Carlos Fernando Silva, said the aircraft went down about two kilometres from the airport after experiencing technical issues shortly after takeoff.

Two additional aircraft equipped with medical facilities were deployed to evacuate the injured.

President Gustavo Petro described the incident as a national tragedy and renewed calls to modernise military equipment, blaming bureaucratic delays for slowing reforms. Critics, however, argue that reduced defence budgets have limited flight hours and training for military crews.

Aviation expert Erich Saumeth noted that the aircraft, a Hercules C-130 donated by the United States in 2020, had undergone a major overhaul in 2023. He said investigators would need to determine why the aircraft’s engines failed shortly after takeoff.

The crash has been described by officials as one of the deadliest military aviation disasters in Colombia in recent years.