Colombia’s defence ministry confirmed on Monday that a military plane carrying 110 soldiers crashed in the south of the country, close to the border with Peru. The aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130, went down while taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, a remote area in Colombia’s southern Amazon region near the Peru border. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the incident, according to Reuters.
“The exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. The plane suffered a tragic accident while it was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, transporting troops of our security forces,” Sanchez added.
Authorities said there were 110 soldiers on the plane when it crashed. The crash site is about 3 kilometres away from a nearby urban area, Reuters reported, citing BluRadio.
President expresses concern
Gustavo Petro reacted to the incident, saying, “I hope there are no fatalities in this horrific accident that should never have happened.”
Videos shared on social media showed the aircraft on fire after the crash, with flames covering much of the wreckage.
Recent similar incident in Bolivia
In a separate incident at the end of February, another Hercules C-130 aircraft belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the city of El Alto. The plane narrowly missed a residential area, but more than 20 people were killed and around 30 others were injured. Reports also said banknotes from the plane’s cargo were scattered across the city.
(This is a developing story)