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Contains distressing details.
Search continues for missing after deadly crash
Rescue teams in southern Colombia are combing the wreckage of a military transport plane that crashed on Monday, leaving 66 security personnel dead and four others unaccounted for. The Hercules C-130 went down shortly after departing from Puerto Leguízamo, near the Peruvian border, en route to Puerto Asís.
Chaotic aftermath witnessed by locals
Villagers near the crash site were the first responders, extracting injured survivors from the burning debris and transporting them to medical facilities on motorbikes. Mobile phone footage circulating online captured the plane losing altitude moments after takeoff, followed by a massive explosion and billowing smoke.
Defense Minister Iván Velásquez clarified that the blasts heard in the recordings were caused by ammunition detonating in the fire. He ruled out any suggestion of an attack by armed groups operating in the Putumayo region.
President points to aging military equipment
Colombian President Gustavo Petro suggested outdated aircraft were to blame for the tragedy. In a series of social media posts, he questioned why a plane purchased in 2020 had failed, calling it a "piece of scrap metal." He also criticized bureaucratic delays in modernizing the armed forces' fleet, vowing to accelerate the process to protect military personnel.
"I will allow no further delays; the lives of our young people are at stake."
Gustavo Petro, Colombian President
Victims identified across security forces
Commander General Hugo Alejandro López reported that the fatalities included 58 army soldiers, six air force members, and two police officers. A total of 128 people were aboard the flight, with 58 survivors pulled from the wreckage.
A local farmer, Noé Mota, told AFP he heard a loud explosion before the plane clipped trees near his property. "I felt an explosion in the air, and when I looked up, the plane was flying dangerously low over my house," he recounted.
Second Hercules crash in two months
The disaster marks the second fatal incident involving a Hercules C-130 in recent weeks. On February 27, a Bolivian military plane carrying banknotes crashed while attempting to land at El Alto airport, killing 24 people after overshooting the runway and colliding with vehicles on a nearby highway.
Investigation underway
Authorities have launched an inquiry into the cause of Monday's crash. While mechanical failure is suspected, officials have not yet released preliminary findings.
