Colombia military plane crash kills at least 66, wounds dozens
The Hercules C-130, transporting 114 army troops and 11 crew, went down near the border with Ecuador, leaving dozens missing amidst burning wreckage.
At least 66 people have been killed, and dozens of others have been wounded when a Colombian military plane carrying 125 people crashed in the south of the country, a military source told AFP news agency.
The Hercules C-130 aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador, strewing burning wreckage on the jungle floor.
The Colombian Air Force aircraft, marked FAC 1016, was transporting 114 army personnel and 11 crew members between Puerto Leguizamo and another Amazon outpost.
General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda confirmed the total number of people on board, while officials have reported that as many as 48 survivors have been found.
Twenty-one people remain missing.
President Gustavo Petro has said earlier that the cause of the incident is unknown.
Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed "deep sorrow" over the tragic accident and confirmed that a deployment is underway to assist the injured.
"I express my most sincere condolences to the families of those affected and... I urge avoiding speculation until official information is available," Sanchez wrote on X.
Heavy military activity
Images from the scene showed civilians clambering around the broken tail of the aircraft as smoke and flames billowed above the trees.
The troubled border area has been the scene of heavy military activity in recent weeks, as Colombian and Ecuadoran forces tackle drug-running cartels.
The crash is the second by a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in under a month.
A Bolivian military cargo plane crashed near La Paz on 27 February, leaving at least 24 people dead.
The Hercules, a four-engine turboprop built by Lockheed Martin, is renowned for its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips and is widely used by militaries worldwide.