A Colombian military Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia on Monday, carrying 110 people, with at least 69 rescued.
Military Plane Crashes in Colombia
A Colombian military Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed in the southeastern part of Colombia, in the city of Puerto Leguizamo, on Monday. The aircraft was carrying 110 people, and at least 69 have been rescued, according to Colombian media reports.
The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from the Puerto Leguizamo airport, approximately 3 km from the city center, near the border with Peru.
Government Response and Investigation
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez stated via X (formerly Twitter) that the number of casualties is currently unknown and the cause of the accident remains undetermined. He described the event as “a very painful event for the country.”
Passengers and Aircraft Details
Media reports indicate that the plane was carrying two platoons of the Colombian National Army. The Hercules C-130 aircraft are aging, with the first models produced in the 1950s, and Colombia acquired these planes in the late 1960s.
Modernization Efforts and Presidential Criticism
Some older C-130s have recently been modernized or replaced with newer models obtained from the United States under a law allowing for the transfer of surplus military equipment. President Gustavo Petro, in a post on X, attributed the crash to bureaucratic obstacles delaying the modernization of the armed forces.
Recent Similar Incident
In late February, a Hercules C-130 plane belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in El Alto, resulting in 24 fatalities and over 40 injuries.
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