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In brief
- The plane was carrying 125 people and was transporting troops near the border with Peru.
- There have been calls for an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Tragedy struck in Colombia’s southern Amazon as a Colombian Air Force plane crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of at least 34 individuals. The aircraft, which was carrying 125 people, met its fate soon after leaving the ground.
According to Jhon Gabriel Molina, the governor of Colombia’s Putumayo department, 21 of the passengers have yet to be identified, he shared with Caracol Noticias.
The unfortunate incident involved a Hercules C-130 plane, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It was departing from Puerto Leguizamo, which lies on the border with Peru, and was transporting military personnel, as stated by Colombia’s defense minister Pedro Sánchez on X.
The aircraft crashed approximately one and a half kilometers from its takeoff point. The impact caused a fire that ignited ammunition on board, leading to explosions, Sánchez later explained.
Sánchez clarified that there was no evidence suggesting involvement from unlawful groups and confirmed that the aircraft was deemed fit for flight with a skilled crew before departure.
Footage from the scene published by local outlet BluRadio showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage. One video showed the plane heading towards the ground just seconds after takeoff.
Colombian Air Force commander Fernando Silva said in a video posted on social media that the plane was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members, and that authorities were still investigating the cause of the crash.
In an earlier post on X, Petro criticised bureaucratic obstacles for delaying his plans to modernise the military.
“I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake,” he said. “If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed.”
Several candidates in Colombia’s upcoming 31 May presidential election offered condolences and called for an investigation.
A spokesperson for US defence company Lockheed Martin said the company extended condolences to those affected by the crash and that it was committed to helping Colombia as it investigates the incident.
Hercules C-130 planes were first launched in the 1950s and Colombia acquired its first models in the late 1960s. It has more recently modernised some older C-130s with newer models sent from the US under a provision that allows for the transfer of used or surplus military equipment.
Hercules C-130s are frequently used in Colombia to transport troops as part of the military’s operations amid a six-decade-long internal conflict that has claimed more than 450,000 lives.
The tail number of the plane that crashed on Monday matches that of the first of three US Air Force planes delivered by the US in recent years, which arrived in late 2020.
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