A Colombian military transport plane crashed while attempting to take off from Puerto Leguizamo on Monday, killing 66 people and leaving four still missing as rescue teams worked to evacuate survivors and recover bodies, officials said.
The aircraft was a Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 that was carrying 128 people in total - including 11 members of the Air Force, 115 army personnel and two national police officers, according to Hugo Alejandro Lopez, head of the nation’s armed forces. Authorities said the revised death toll was nearly double an earlier figure as search and recovery operations continued at the scene.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said the accident occurred as the plane was taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, a town on Colombia's border with Peru, posting the information on X. Firefighter Eduardo San Juan Callejas told Caracol that the aircraft appeared to have suffered an impact near the end of the runway as it lifted off, and that a wing struck a tree while the plane was descending. The crash allegedly caused the aircraft to catch fire and to detonate some kind of explosive devices that were on board, he added.
Local residents in the remote area were the first to reach and extract survivors, with video footage showing men speeding along a dirt track with wounded soldiers riding on the backs of motorcycles. Military vehicles later arrived to assist, but authorities said the crash site was difficult to access, limiting the pace of rescue and recovery efforts.
Lopez reported that 57 of the survivors had been taken to hospitals, with 30 of those patients described as in non-serious condition at a military clinic. Officials continued to search for the four people who remained unaccounted for.
Leadership response and calls for action
President Gustavo Petro, in the closing months of his administration, publicly criticized what he described as bureaucratic obstacles that have delayed his plans to modernize Colombia's military. Posting on X, he said: "I will grant no further delays; it is the lives of our young people that are at stake." He added: "If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed."
Several candidates in Colombia's upcoming May 31 presidential election offered condolences and urged an investigation into the crash. A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said the company was committed to assisting Colombia in the investigation of the incident.
Aircraft background and operational context
Hercules C-130 aircraft were first introduced in the 1950s, and Colombia acquired its initial aircraft in the late 1960s. The Colombian military has more recently modernized some older C-130s, receiving newer models from the United States under a provision that allows the transfer of used or surplus military equipment.
C-130s are frequently employed in Colombia to move troops as part of the armed forces' operations connected to the country's long-running internal conflict. The conflict has been active for six decades and has resulted in more than 450,000 deaths, according to figures cited by officials.
Officials noted that the tail number of the aircraft that crashed on Monday corresponds to the first of three planes delivered by the United States to Colombia in recent years.
Related incident in Bolivia
The report also referenced another recent accident involving a Hercules C-130. At the end of February, a Bolivian Air Force C-130 crashed in the city of El Alto, striking near a residential block. That accident resulted in more than 20 deaths and about 30 injuries. Banknotes from the aircraft’s cargo were scattered around the Bolivian crash site, which contributed to clashes between residents and security forces.
Operational and logistical challenges at the scene
Officials emphasized that the remote location of the Puerto Leguizamo airfield complicated immediate rescue responses. Residents' early involvement in extracting wounded personnel underscored the limited access for formal rescue units. Military vehicles later reached the site, but authorities said terrain and access issues impeded a faster, coordinated response.
As investigations and recovery operations continue, Colombian authorities have received commitments of support from the aircraft manufacturer as they seek to determine the sequence of events that led to the takeoff accident.