Colombia’s defence ministry says a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane was involved in an accident in the south of the country, with local outlet BluRadio reporting that 110 soldiers were travelling on board.
Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the accident happened as the plane was taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon region on the border with Peru, as it transported troops from the armed forces.
“The exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined,” he said.
Con profundo dolor informo que un avión Hércules de nuestra @FuerzaAereaCol sufrió un trágico accidente mientras despegaba de Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo), cuando transportaba tropas de nuestra Fuerza Pública. Unidades militares ya se encuentran en el lugar de los hechos; sin…— Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol) March 23, 2026
BluRadio cited authorities as saying 110 soldiers were on board, and that the crash took place just 3km from an urban centre.
US defence company Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the end of February, another Hercules C-130 belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the populous city of Alto, barely missing a residential block.
More than 20 people died and another 30 were injured, and banknotes from the plane’s cargo scattered around the city, prompting clashes between residents and security forces.