A Colombian military aircraft carrying 125 soldiers and crew crashed during take-off early on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens more, officials have said.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft came down shortly after departing from Puerto Leguízamo, near the southern border with Ecuador and Peru, scattering burning wreckage across the jungle floor.
A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers had died, along with six air force personnel and two police officers.
The updated toll followed an earlier statement by local government secretary Carlos Claros, who told RCN Television that 33 people had died and that efforts were under way to treat and evacuate dozens of others who were injured.
He added that investigators were examining the cause of the crash.
The border area where the aircraft went down has seen intense military activity recently, as Colombian and Ecuadorian forces attempt to combat drug-trafficking cartels and militias.
AFP images from the scene showed civilians climbing over the broken tail of the aircraft, marked FAC 1016, as smoke and flames billowed above the trees.
Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his “deep sorrow” over the disaster, saying it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.
“It is a deeply painful event for the country. May our prayers bring some measure of comfort,” Sánchez said.
General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said that 114 troops and 11 crew members were on board, travelling from Puerto Leguízamo to a nearby Amazon outpost.
“The airport is small, and there are several difficulties” hindering the evacuation of bodies and the injured, said Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putumayo region, in a Facebook video.
'Horrific accident'
Local residents in the area reported hearing a loud bang.
“I felt an explosion in the air, and, when I looked up, the aircraft was flying close to the house on my plot,” said Noé Mota, a farmer.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro shared footage showing the aircraft attempting to gain altitude before plunging down.
He described the crash on X as a “horrific accident” and stressed the need to modernise Colombia’s military equipment, though he did not directly link the crash to the aircraft’s condition.
The crash is the second involving a C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop built by Lockheed Martin, in South America in less than a month.
A Bolivian military cargo aircraft carrying banknotes crashed while landing near La Paz on 27 February, leaving at least 24 people dead.
Military forces around the world widely use this aircraft, renowned for its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips.
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