Colombia Plane Crash: 125 Onboard, Rescue Efforts Underway

A Colombian military transport plane crashed Monday in the southeastern part of the country, near the city of Puerto Leguizamo, with conflicting reports emerging regarding the number of casualties. Initial reports indicated 125 people were on board – 114 passengers and 11 crew members – but the exact number of survivors and fatalities remains unconfirmed.

The aircraft, a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, went down shortly after takeoff, according to Colombia’s Ministry of Defense. Minister of Defense Pedro Sánchez stated on social media that military units were dispatched to the scene, but a definitive casualty count and the cause of the crash were still unknown as of late Monday.

“Units are already at the scene. Still, the number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been confirmed,” Sánchez wrote. He described the event as “deeply painful for the country” and called for prayers for those affected.

Conflicting information has been released by various sources. General Fernando Silva initially reported 48 people had been rescued, while other military sources indicated 71 passengers survived the crash. The presidential office of Gustavo Petro issued a statement reporting one confirmed fatality and 77 people hospitalized.

The crash occurred approximately three kilometers from the center of Puerto Leguizamo, in the Putumayo province bordering Peru. The area has seen increased military activity in recent weeks as Colombian and Ecuadorian forces work to combat drug cartels and armed groups, though authorities have not yet linked this activity to the crash.

President Petro, in a statement posted on X, attributed the disaster to bureaucratic obstacles delaying the modernization of the armed forces. The downed Hercules C-130 was originally manufactured in the 1950s, with Colombia acquiring these planes in the late 1960s. Some older C-130s have been recently modernized, while others have been replaced with newer models obtained from the United States.

The Ministry of Defense has initiated investigations into the cause of the crash, but officials cautioned that the challenging terrain and remote location will likely complicate efforts to determine the factors that led to the accident. No official statement regarding the investigation’s timeline or expected findings has been released.