VIDEO Aviation catastrophe of great proportions in Colombia. A Hercules plane crashed with over 100 soldiers on board
Colombia's Ministry of Defense announced that a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane crashed in the south of the country with 125 people on board, Reuters reports.
UPDATE 21.20: At least one person was killed and 77 others hospitalized after the crash of the Colombian military aviation aircraft. The condition of another 47 people on board is to be determined, President Gustavo Petro announced.
Minister Pedro Sanchez said the accident occurred during takeoff from Puerto Leguizamo, in the Amazon region bordering Peru, with the aircraft carrying more than 100 military personnel. “The exact number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been determined,” Sanchez said.
Later, Colombian General Fernando Silva stated that there were 114 passengers on board, to which 11 crew members were added.
The general stated that 48 injured people were rescued from the scene of the catastrophe, without giving details about the number of dead people. Later, the number of people rescued increased to 71.
❗️Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules Crashes Near Peru Border, Reportedly With 100+ Personnel Onboard – Local Media
The Defense Ministry has confirmed the incident, but did not specify the number of passengers.
The C-130 Hercules is a tactical transport aircraft manufactured… pic.twitter.com/DRG1goE7XP
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The accident happened about 3 kilometers from a town. Images that have appeared on social media show a column of thick smoke rising from the site of the disaster.
The plane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I hope there are no casualties in this terrible accident that should not have happened,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a post on X, criticizing the bureaucratic hurdles facing his plans to modernize the military.
“I will not allow any more delays, the lives of our young people are at stake. If civil or military officials are not up to the task, they must be removed,” continued the Colombian president.
Hercules C-130s entered service in the 1950s, and Columbia acquired its first aircraft in the 1960s. It has recently purchased older but modernized aircraft, along with newer variants sent by the US.
At the end of February, another Hercules C-130 belonging to the Bolivian military air force crashed in the town of El Alton, narrowly avoiding a block of flats.
More than 20 people died and 30 others were injured, and currency notes from the plane scattered across the city, leading to clashes between residents and security forces.
