A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Puerto Leguízamo in the southern department of Putumayo on March 23, killing at least 66 people on board.
The aircraft carried 128 military personnel and crew members when it went down in a jungle area about 1.5 kilometers from the airport around 9:50 a.m. local time. Gen. Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, commander general of Colombia’s armed forces, confirmed the death toll on March 24. The victims included six members of the Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, 58 from the Ejército Nacional and two from the Policía Nacional.
Rescuers pulled 57 survivors from the wreckage and evacuated them to hospitals. Eight went to facilities in Florencia, while 49 were flown to Bogotá, where 19 received care at the Hospital Militar Central and 30 others with less severe injuries went to the Batallón de Sanidad Militar. One soldier escaped unharmed. Four others remained missing as of the latest official update.
The plane, identified as FAC 1016, had just departed Puerto Leguízamo bound for Puerto Asís, another military base in the same department. It plunged to the ground and caught fire after impact. Videos from the scene showed smoke rising from the site and local residents assisting in initial rescue efforts on motorcycles.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the aircraft met all airworthiness standards and the crew was fully qualified. He ruled out any signs of an attack by illegal armed groups. Explosions heard after the crash came from munitions the plane was carrying, which detonated in the fire, Sánchez said.
Putumayo lies in Colombia’s Amazon region near the borders with Peru and Ecuador. The area sees frequent military movements because of its rugged terrain and ongoing security operations. The armed forces activated emergency protocols immediately after the crash. Helicopters and medical teams helped move the injured. Identification of the dead continued into March 24 because some remains were badly burned.
López Barreto described the loss as a “tragic accident” and said the military was supporting the families of those killed. No further details on the cause have been released. An investigation by aviation and military authorities is underway. The crash is among the deadliest involving Colombian military aircraft in recent years. Officials have called for calm while the probe determines what happened.
