Sixty-six members of Colombia's security forces are dead after a military transport plane crashed in the south of the country near the border with Peru. The Hercules C-130 went down shortly after takeoff from Puerto Leguízamo, bound for Puerto Asís.
Rescue workers and local residents scrambled to recover survivors from the burning wreckage, ferrying injured passengers on motorbikes to nearby hospitals.
Four people remain missing. Among the dead are 58 army personnel, six air force members, and two police officers.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro linked the crash to aging military hardware, calling the aircraft 'a piece of scrap metal' purchased in 2020. He cited bureaucratic delays in modernizing defense equipment.
No evidence suggests the plane was attacked, despite active armed groups in Putumayo province. Audio from the scene indicates onboard ammunition detonated in the fire.
This marks the second fatal Hercules C-130 crash in Latin America within two months, following a February incident in Bolivia that killed 24.