The death toll from a Colombian military aircraft crash in the southern Putumayo region has risen to 66, with 57 others reported injured, according to local media citing military sources.
Carlos Silva, commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), said in a video posted on X that the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members. He added that an investigative team has been deployed to determine the cause of the crash, as reported by Xinhua.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on X that the status of more than 40 individuals who were on board the aircraft remains unconfirmed.
In a separate video shared on social media, Air Force Commander Fernando Silva also confirmed that there were 114 passengers and 11 crew members on board, noting that authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.
The crash was among the deadliest incidents in recent history involving Colombia’s Air Force, with nearly two dozen individuals still missing amid the smoldering wreckage.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that the accident happened as a Lockheed Martin–built Hercules C-130 transport aircraft was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, near the border with Peru.
Firefighter Eduardo San Juan Callejas told Caracol that the aircraft is believed to have struck something near the end of the runway during takeoff, and that one of its wings later hit a tree as it descended.
He added that the crash caused the plane to catch fire and triggered the detonation of some type of explosive materials on board.
Residents of the remote area were the first to rescue survivors, with videos showing men racing along a dirt road carrying injured soldiers on the backs of their motorcycles.
Military vehicles arrived later, but authorities said the crash site was difficult to access, hindering rescue operations.
Colombia’s Air Force initially reported that 121 people were on board, 110 soldiers and 11 crew members. It was not immediately clear what caused the discrepancy between these figures and those provided by local authorities.
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said the company is committed to supporting Colombia in its investigation of the incident. The Hercules C-130 aircraft, first introduced in the 1950s, was initially acquired by Colombia in the late 1960s. In recent years, the country has upgraded some of its older C-130s with newer models supplied by the United States under a program permitting the transfer of surplus or used military equipment.
C-130 aircraft are widely used in Colombia to transport troops as part of military operations tied to a decades-long internal conflict that has resulted in more than 450,000 deaths.
