Scores killed as Colombian military plane crashes on takeoff

By Gonzalo Zegarra, Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — At least 64 people were killed and scores more injured after a Colombian military transport plane crashed on takeoff in south of the country, according to the region’s Governor Jhon Gabriel Molina.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft broke into pieces on impact and caught fire after going down near Puerto Leguízamo, a town in the Putumayo region that borders Peru.

Among the 114 passengers on the aircraft were 112 members of Colombia’s Army and two police officers, Molina said, adding that 11 crew members were also onboard.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said. There is no indication of an attack by criminal groups, he added.

The plane was in airworthy condition and the crew was “duly qualified,” he said.

A video geolocated by CNN shows the military plane taking off from Caucaya Airport and flying over a rural area moments before it went down. The footage indicates the crash happened less than two miles from the airport.

Images from the scene of the crash showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the wreckage.

Nicolas Ordoñez, an indigenous ranger involved in the search and rescue operations in Leguízamo, told CNN that several survivors had been taken to a local hospital.

Some of the injured soldiers were flown to the capital Bogotá for treatment.

Sánchez has sent condolences to the families of those affected.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the crash “should never have happened.” He lamented the lack of modernization of the armed forces, which he attributed to “bureaucratic difficulties.”

Flight data shows the plane was a C-130H Hercules, an older model of the C-130 series that first entered service in March 1965, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The plane had been donated to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020.

C-130 cargo planes are widely used and capable of operating in remote and adverse conditions.

It’s the latest deadly plane crash that Colombia has experienced in recent months.

In late January, an aircraft went down near Cúcuta in the northeast just nine minutes after taking off. All those on board died, including congressman Diógenes Quintero.

This story has been updated.

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CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon, Avery Schmitz and Ivonne Valdés contributed to this report.