A Colombian military transport plane with mostly soldiers on board crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday
At least 66 people were killed after a Colombian military Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday in the southern province of Putumayo. Many others were injured, while rescue and evacuation operations continued into the night.
The aircraft went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a remote Amazonian municipality near the borders with Peru and Ecuador, within a few kilometers of the airport after reporting trouble soon after departure.
The Colombian armed forces and local officials gave varying figures for the number of people on board as the emergency response unfolded, with reports putting the total at between 121 and 128 passengers and crew. Colombia’s air force said those killed included six airmen, 58 members of the National Army, and two National Police officers.
Así ocurrió el accidente del avión Hércules de la @FuerzaAereaCol que transportaba cerca de 120 militares. Había acabado de despegar del aeropuerto en Puerto Leguízamo, Putumayo, y claramente se ve que la aeronave no pudo ganar la altitud necesaria.La investigación determinara… pic.twitter.com/fj4RY7a1rv
— 🇨🇴SARGENTO DEL EJÉRCITO NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA🇨🇴 (@SARGENTOCHALA) March 23, 2026
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez described the incident as a “tragic accident,” while officials said there was no immediate indication that the crash had been caused by an attack by armed groups. The exact cause remains under investigation.
Un avión Hércules de la @FuerzaAereaCol, que transportaba alrededor de 120 soldados del Batallón de Infantería de Selva N.º 50 “General Luis Acevedo Torres”, se estrelló minutos después de despegar del aeropuerto en Puerto Leguizamo, Putumayo. En este momento, se desconoce la… pic.twitter.com/ikBKcJqJdo
— 🇨🇴SARGENTO DEL EJÉRCITO NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA🇨🇴 (@SARGENTOCHALA) March 23, 2026
Images distributed by Colombia’s armed forces and footage circulating online showed emergency crews working around the wreckage as injured passengers were loaded onto other aircraft for evacuation. Photos from the scene showed ambulances transporting survivors and responders gathered around the downed military cargo plane.
The aircraft was identified as a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, which had been donated by the United States in 2020 and overhauled in 2023. President Gustavo Petro said the disaster underscored the need to modernize Colombia’s military fleet.
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