Death Toll Rises to 66 After Military Plane Crashes in Jungle

A Colombian military transport plane carrying over 120 personnel crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens of others. The C-130 Hercules aircraft went down near Puerto Leguizamo, a remote municipality in the southern Putumayo department near the borders with Ecuador and Peru.

The aircraft, identified by the tail number FAC 1016, plummeted into a dense forest just 1.5 kilometers from the airport. The impact sparked a massive fire, which authorities say was intensified by the detonation of ammunition being transported on board. While 125 people were initially reported to be on the flight, updated figures from the Colombian Air Force suggest as many as 128 may have been present.

Rescue Efforts and Casualties

The deceased include 58 soldiers from the National Army, six air force personnel, and two police officers. Local residents were among the first to respond to the disaster, using motorcycles to rush injured survivors through dirt roads to the town's small clinics. Due to the limited medical facilities in Puerto Leguizamo, many of the 57 rescued survivors have since been airlifted to larger hospitals in Bogota and other major cities.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez described the incident as a tragic accident and stated that there are currently no indications of an attack by the illegal armed groups that operate in the volatile border region. General Hugo Alejandro Lopez Barreto, head of the armed forces, noted that at least four military personnel remain missing as search operations continue in the jungle wreckage.

Calls for Military Modernization

President Gustavo Petro shared footage of the crash on social media, describing it as a horrific accident. He used the tragedy to highlight the urgent need for modernizing the country's aging military hardware, blaming bureaucratic hurdles for delaying equipment upgrades.

This disaster marks the second C-130 Hercules crash in South America in less than a month, following a similar fatal accident in Bolivia in late February. The C-130 is a widely used four engine turboprop known for its ability to land on makeshift strips, making it a staple for military operations in rugged terrain like the Amazon.