66 dead in Colombia military plane crash
Bogotá, COLOMBIA—A Colombian military plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew members crashed on takeoff early Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens of others, officials said.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador and Peru, strewing burning wreckage on the jungle floor.
A military source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that 58 soldiers had died, along with six air force personnel and two police officers.
The updated toll came shortly after the local government secretary Carlos Claros told RCN television that 33 people had died, and that efforts were being made to treat and evacuate dozens of others injured.
He added that investigators were probing the cause of the crash.
‘Deep sorrow’
The border area where the plane went down has been the scene of heavy military activity in recent weeks, as the Colombian and Ecuadoran militaries try to tackle drug-running cartels and militias.
AFP images from the scene showed civilians clambering around the broken tail of the aircraft, marked FAC 1016, as smoke and flames billowed above the trees.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez 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,” Sanchez said.
Bound for Amazon
Gen. Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said that 114 troops were aboard and 11 crew members, traveling from Puerto Leguizamo to an Amazon outpost nearby.
“The airport is small and there are several difficulties” hindering the evacuation of bodies and the injured, Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putamayo region, said in a Facebook video.
Locals in the area recounted hearing a loud bang.
“I felt an explosion in the air and, when I looked up, the plane was flying close to the house on my plot,” said Noe Mota, a farmer.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro shared footage showing the aircraft attempting to gain altitude before plummeting down.
