On 23rd March, a Colombian Air Force plane carrying 125 people crashed within minutes of its takeoff from the southern Amazon region. The tragic incident resulted in the death of around 66 people. The crashed aircraft was a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130.
According to the Colombian defence ministry, the plane went down near Puerto Leguizamo, near Colombia’s border with Peru, while transporting troops. The emergency teams were rushed to the crash site.
HUGE FIRE AS COLOMBIAN MILITARY PLANE CARRYING AT LEAST 100 CRASHES pic.twitter.com/HR46W42QLe
— RT (@RT_com) March 23, 2026
The local media reports that the aircraft suffered an impact near the end of the runway during take-off. Due to the impact, one of the wings plummeted and clipped a tree, causing the plane to catch fire and detonate explosive devices on board.
According to Colombia’s Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, 57 of the crash survivors had been hospitalised, while 30 of them were in non-serious condition at a military clinic.
The full extent of casualties is yet to be determined.
