Updated on: March 24, 2026 / 12:13 AM EDT / CBS/AP
A Colombian military transport plane carrying mostly soldiers crashed Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured, authorities said. The air force said those killed included six from the air force, 58 from the National Army and two from the National Police.
The Hercules C-130 went down shortly after takeoff, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said. The air force reported the aircraft was transporting 128 people, including crew. One soldier was unharmed; 57 military personnel were rescued and evacuated from the scene. Four soldiers had not yet been located.
The Colombian air force said there is no information or indication the crash was an attack by an illegal armed group. Rescue teams were dispatched and the cause of the accident remained under investigation.
Puerto Leguizamo Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said in a video posted to social media that victims’ bodies were taken to the town morgue and that the two local clinics treated the injured before they were flown to larger cities. Puerto Leguizamo is in Putumayo, an Amazonian province bordering Ecuador and Peru.
Images shared by local media showed a field engulfed in black smoke and soldiers rushing to the site. Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted video footage of soldiers and bystanders working to extinguish post-crash fires.
Petro used the tragedy to press his long-standing campaign to modernize military aircraft and equipment, saying bureaucratic obstacles have hindered those efforts and that officials who fail should be held accountable. Defense Minister Sánchez called the crash a “tragic accident” and said there were no signs of rebel attack; investigators continue to determine the cause.
José Diaz contributed to this report.