A military transport aircraft carrying 110 soldiers crashed Monday during takeoff in Colombia’s remote Amazon region, according to officials and local media reports.
The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a town in southern Colombia close to the Peruvian border, while transporting military personnel, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed.
“The exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined,” Sanchez stated.
Local news outlet BluRadio reported that authorities confirmed 110 soldiers were traveling on the aircraft when it crashed approximately two miles from a populated area.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his concerns about the incident on social media, using the crash to highlight his frustrations with military modernization delays.
“I hope there are no fatalities in this horrific accident that should never have happened,” Petro wrote. “I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake. If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed.”
The C-130 Hercules aircraft series dates back to the 1950s, with Colombia first acquiring these planes in the late 1960s. The country has recently updated some of its aging fleet with newer versions provided by the United States through a program that transfers surplus military equipment.
Officials have not yet released specific information about the aircraft involved in Monday’s crash.
This incident follows another C-130 crash in late February when a Bolivian Air Force plane went down in El Alto, narrowly avoiding residential areas. That accident resulted in more than 20 deaths and 30 injuries, with scattered banknotes from the aircraft’s cargo leading to confrontations between local residents and security personnel.
Lockheed Martin has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the Colombian incident.
