A Colombian military transport aircraft carrying 121 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff in the south of the country, leaving at least 66 dead.
According to The Guardian, Pedro Sánchez, Colombia’s defense minister, said the accident occurred as the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 aircraft was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, deep in the southern Amazon region of Colombia, near the border with Peru.
“This event is deeply painful for the country. We hope our prayers can help ease some of the pain,” Sánchez wrote, later adding that “the aircraft was in good flying condition and the crew was properly qualified.”
Videos shared on social media captured the moment the aircraft began losing altitude, while other footage showed a black cloud of smoke rising from the field where the plane crashed.
The aircraft was transporting Colombian armed forces troops. The crash left at least 66 dead, while another 77 people were rescued from the crash site with injuries. A spokesperson for the defense ministry said authorities are still investigating the total number of fatalities.
Colombian media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed away from the crash site on motorcycles driven by local residents, while another group of locals attempted to extinguish the fire caused by the crash in the field.
Carlos Fernando Silva, commander of the Colombian Air Force, said details of the accident are still unknown. All he knows is “that the aircraft had a problem and crashed about two kilometers from the airport.”
The Colombian defense minister added that, although the causes are still under investigation, it is already possible to rule out that the crash was caused by an attack from any of the numerous armed groups operating in Colombia.
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said the company is committed to assisting Colombia during the investigation into the incident.
It is worth noting that, at the end of February, another Hercules C-130 belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the city of El Alto, an accident that killed more than 20 people and injured another 30.
Photo and video: Colombian Air Force / X @MOSSADil. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
🚨 CRASH UPDATE: DEATH TOLL RISES IN COLOMBIA MILITARY PLANE CRASH
The number of fatalities has increased to 66, with 4 soldiers still missing after a military aircraft crash in Colombia.
• 128 people were on board
• 115 from the Army
• 11 crew members
• 2 from the National… pic.twitter.com/RHwPbJkCVy
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 24, 2026
