At least 1 dead, 77 injured as Colombian military plane carrying more than 100 personnel crashes on takeoff

By Gonzalo Zegarra, Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — A Colombian military transport plane crashed on takeoff in the south of the country, killing at least one person and injuring 77, according to President Gustavo Petro.

The status of more than 40 people remains unknown, the president added.

The accident involved a C-130 Hercules aircraft and occurred in Puerto Leguízamo, a town in Putumayo department, bordering Peru.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said, adding that there is no indication of an attack by criminal groups.

The plane was in airworthy condition and the crew was “duly qualified,” he said.

It was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members, according to General Carlos Silva, commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force. More than 100 of those on board were military personnel, Vice President Francia Márquez Mina said.

A video geolocated by CNN shows the military plane taking off from Caucaya Airport and flying over a rural area moments before it went down. The footage indicates the crash happened less than two miles from the airport.

Images from the scene of the crash showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the wreckage.

Nicolas Ordoñez, an indigenous ranger involved in the search and rescue operations in Leguízamo, told CNN that several survivors had been taken to a local hospital.

Sánchez has sent condolences to the families of those affected.

Petro said the crash “should never have happened.” He lamented the lack of modernization of the armed forces, which he attributed to “bureaucratic difficulties.”

Flight data shows the plane was a C-130H Hercules, an older model of the C-130 series that first entered service in March 1965, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The plane had been donated to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020.

C-130 cargo planes are widely used and capable of operating in remote and adverse conditions.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon and Avery Schmitz contributed to this report.