A Colombian Air Force (FAC) plane carrying dozens of soldiers crashed this Monday (23), a few minutes after taking off from Puerto Leguízamo airport, in the department of Putumayo, in the south of the country, said the Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, without confirming the number of victims.
“With deep regret, I inform you that a Hercules plane from our @FuerzaAereaCol suffered a tragic accident during takeoff from Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo), while transporting Public Force troops,” declared the minister on social media.
The head of the Ministry of Defense added that military units are already at the scene of the accident and that protocols for assistance to victims and their families have been activated, as well as the corresponding investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
“The number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been precisely determined,” added the minister, although the local press reported that the aircraft was carrying approximately 110 soldiers.
Shortly after Sánchez’s publication, the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that, according to the first official report, it was confirmed that 67 soldiers were injured, but the condition of the others was not reported.
According to the newspaper, military aircraft are on their way to the region to transport the injured to Bogotá, as the medical care capacity in the region is insufficient for an incident of this size.
Videos circulating on social media show a large column of smoke rising from the crash site and debris from the aircraft scattered around, as military personnel and local residents approach the area to assist in rescue efforts.
Civil Defense, a national rescue organization, said volunteers from its Putumayo region, “in coordination with other relief agencies, are being mobilized and providing support in response to the emergency”, and released a video of the burning wreckage.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of those affected and, out of respect for their pain, I ask everyone to avoid speculation until official information is available,” said the Colombian minister.
For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro lamented the incident, declaring on his social media account: “I hope there are no fatalities in this terrible accident that should never have happened.”
The Armed Forces’ C-130 Hercules aircraft are among the most used models in the world by air forces to transport troops and military equipment, and have capacity for approximately 100 passengers with their weapons and ammunition.
