A Colombian military transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, killing at least 66 people, with four others still missing, authorities confirmed.
The aircraft, a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, was carrying 128 people, including members of the army, air force, and police, according to military officials.
The crash occurred in Puerto Leguízamo, near the border with Peru, as the plane attempted to take off.
Officials said the aircraft may have struck near the end of the runway before losing control, with one wing reportedly hitting a tree as it went down.
The impact triggered a fire, and explosive materials on board detonated, worsening the devastation.
Local residents were the first to respond, pulling injured passengers from the wreckage and transporting them on motorcycles before emergency teams arrived.
Authorities said dozens of survivors were rescued, with at least 57 hospitalized. Around 30 of those injured were reported to be in stable condition.
However, difficult terrain in the remote crash area slowed rescue operations.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Officials have not yet determined whether mechanical failure, human error, or other factors were responsible.
The aircraft manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, said it would assist Colombian authorities in the investigation.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about the condition of Colombia’s military aircraft. President Gustavo Petro criticized delays in efforts to modernize the country’s aging fleet, warning that lives are at risk.
C-130 aircraft, first introduced in the 1950s, are widely used for troop transport in Colombia’s long-running internal conflict, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The crash comes just weeks after another C-130 aircraft accident in El Alto, which killed more than 20 people, raising broader safety concerns over the aircraft model’s continued use in the region
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