By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
At least eight people have been confirmed dead after a Colombian Air Force plane crashed in the southern part of the country, leaving dozens more injured.
Air Force Commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said the aircraft was carrying 114 army personnel along with 11 crew members at the time of the incident. According to him, 48 survivors were pulled from the wreckage with injuries and have been taken to hospitals for treatment.
Regional governor Jhon Gabriel Molina later confirmed that at least eight people died in Monday’s crash, while more than 80 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The aircraft, a US-made C-130 Hercules used for troop transport, went down near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province, close to the border with Peru.
Emergency responders deployed to the scene were seen combing through the wreckage in search of additional survivors. Local media footage showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the crash site, while military trucks transported soldiers to the area. Other videos circulating online appeared to show residents helping evacuate injured soldiers on motorbikes to nearby hospitals.
President Gustavo Petro described the incident as “horrendous” and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. In a post on X, he suggested that “bureaucratic problems” had delayed efforts to modernise the country’s military equipment, including its aircraft.
“I will allow no further delays; the lives of our young people are at stake,” he wrote, without providing further details on the cause of the crash.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what led to the tragic incident.
