Colombia plane crash: 110 soldiers onboard, 71 pulled out alive

BOGOTA: A Colombian military transport plane carrying 110 soldiers crashed shortly after takeoff in the country’s southern Amazon region on Monday, with at least 71 people rescued alive, according to sources.

The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft went down near Puerto Leguizamo, close to Colombia’s border with Peru, while transporting troops, the defence ministry said. The crash occurred just minutes after takeoff, with footage showing thick plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage.

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the exact number of casualties and the cause of the crash were still unknown. “The exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined,” he said.

Earlier reports by local media said 110 soldiers were onboard the aircraft. Two military sources told Reuters that dozens were pulled alive from the wreckage, with the number of survivors later rising to 71.

President Gustavo Petro described the incident as a “horrific accident” and stressed the urgent need to modernize Colombia’s military. “I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake,” he said, warning that officials failing to act could be removed.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft, first introduced in the 1950s, has been part of Colombia’s fleet since the late 1960s, though some units have been upgraded in recent years.

The crash comes weeks after a similar C-130 accident in Bolivia that killed more than 20 people, raising fresh concerns over ageing military aircraft in the region.

Authorities said rescue operations were ongoing as investigators worked to determine what caused the crash.