A transport plane of the Colombian military crashed shortly after takeoff from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador, said officials on Monday. The aircraft, an Air Force Hercules C-130, was believed to be carrying around 100 troops.
Media reports suggest that as many as 80 Colombian troops are feared dead in the incident. However, the Colombian military has not issued a statement over the incident yet.ย
Colombia’s Defence Minister Pedro S nchez has confirmed about the incident with “deep sorrow”. He said the plane crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, which is a remote municipality in the Amazonian province of Putumayo, bordering Ecuador and Peru.
“Military units are already at the scene. However, the number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been confirmed,” said the defence minister in a social media post. “It is a deeply painful event for the country. May our prayers bring some measure of comfort.”
“All care protocols for the victims and their families have been activated, as well as the corresponding investigation. I express my most sincere condolences to the families of those affected and, in respect for their pain, I call for avoiding speculation until official information is available,” he added.
A rescue operation is now being conducted by local officials and a hunt is on for the survivors. Meanwhile, videos and photos of the crash have gone viral on micro-blogging website X (previously Twitter). In the photos and videos, a plume of smoke could be seen rising following the crash, as locals gather for a rescue operation.
Colombia’s President blames ‘bureaucratic difficulties’ for crash
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has also expressed grief over the incident and said that the accident should not have happened. In a post on X, he blamed the lack of modernisation for the incident. He stated that modernisation of Colombia’s military has been a decision of his presidency for years, but “bureaucratic difficulties” have not allowed that to happen.
He said civilian and military administrative officials need to be removed if they are not up to this challenge. He said Colombia’s military has been losing capacity for 15 years, adding that if someone has stolen a “single peso”, then he is a murderer of the troops.
“I will not grant more time; it is the lives of the young people that are at stake. That is why, against wind and tide, I modernized the strategic air fleet and have requested the immediate purchase of helicopters and transport and troop aircraft to expand the transportation and troop mobility capacity in regions nearly wiped out by the failure of the Russian helicopters now vetoed,” he said.
ALSO READ – Trump flips tone, praises Colombia President after fiery cocaine jibe, invites him for White House talks