Military plane ‘carrying over 100 soldiers’ crashes in Colombia

The Lockheed Martin Hercules ‌C-130 plane “suffered a tragic accident”, according to the country’s defence minister Pedro Anulfo Sanchez.

Local media outlet BluRadio reports that 110 soldiers were on board at the time, however Sanchez warned that “the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined.”

Writing on X, Colombian president Gustavo Petro wrote: “I hope there are ⁠no fatalities in this horrific accident that should never have happened.

“I will grant no further delays; it is the ‌lives of our young people that are at stake.

“If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed.”

Petro has faced obstacles to his plans to modernise the Colombian military, with Colombia having bought C-130 planes as far back as the 1960s.

It is believed that the aircraft took off from an airport in the southern Amazon region of Colombia, before crashing two miles from an urban centre.

In a post translated by Sky News, defence minister Sanchez wrote: “With deep sorrow, I report that a Hercules aircraft from our [Colombian Aerospace Force] suffered a tragic accident while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo), while transporting troops from our Public Force.

“Military units are already at the scene; however, the number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been precisely determined.

“All protocols for assisting the victims and their families have been activated, as well as the corresponding investigation.

“I express my sincerest condolences to the families of those affected and, out of respect for their grief, I urge everyone to avoid speculation until official information is available.

“This is a profoundly painful event for the country.”