A Colombian military plane carrying 128 people crashed near Puerto Leguizamo on Monday, killing 66 and leaving 4 missing. The Hercules C-130 transport aircraft, en route to support counterinsurgency operations, suffered a catastrophic failure during takeoff, igniting fires and detonating onboard explosives. 🛩️💥
Heroic Local Rescues
Videos show residents rushing wounded soldiers to safety on motorcycles before military vehicles arrived. Survivors described the crash as "like a bomb exploding," with 57 hospitalized—30 in stable condition at a military clinic. Rescue teams face challenges accessing the remote jungle site.
Modernization Push Amid Crisis
President Gustavo Petro vowed to accelerate military upgrades, stating: "The lives of our young people are at stake." The crash comes weeks before Colombia's May 31 presidential election, with candidates demanding investigations. Lockheed Martin, the plane's manufacturer, pledged support for the probe.
Decades-Old Aircraft in Spotlight
This C-130—part of Colombia's US-transferred fleet—was first acquired in the 1960s. The crash echoes February's Bolivian C-130 disaster that killed 20. Colombia's military relies heavily on these planes for operations in its 60-year internal conflict, which has claimed 450,000+ lives.
