Colombian Military Plane Crash Leaves Dozens Feared Dead
Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia – A Colombian military transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff Monday in the remote Amazonian province of Putumayo, near the border with Ecuador and Peru, with authorities fearing as many as 80 fatalities.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed “deep sorrow” over the accident, posting on social media that military units were already at the scene. He stated the number of victims and the cause of the crash remained unconfirmed. “It is a deeply painful event for the country,” Sánchez wrote.
The Hercules aircraft, identified as FAC 1016, went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a municipality grappling with increased military activity related to efforts to combat drug-running cartels and militias operating in the troubled border region.
According to General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda, the plane was carrying 114 troops and 11 crew members, traveling between Puerto Leguizamo and another Amazon outpost.
While an official death toll has not been released, a military source told AFP that up to 80 people may have perished. Approximately 48 survivors have been located, officials said. Images circulating from the crash site show wreckage strewn across the jungle floor, with civilians gathered around the broken tail of the aircraft.
This crash marks the second incident involving a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in under a month. On February 27, a Bolivian military cargo plane crashed while landing near La Paz, resulting in at least 24 deaths.
The Lockheed Martin-built Hercules is a four-engine turboprop renowned for its ability to operate from rudimentary airstrips, making it a widely used military transport aircraft capable of carrying troops, vehicles, and other cargo.
The incident is under investigation.
This story is based on reporting from Agence France-Presse and was originally published by NDTV.
