 "Colombian Military transport plane carrying 80 troops crashes shortly after takeoff")
Colombian Military transport plane with close to 80 troops crashes after takeoff.
Pedro Sanchez Colombian Minister of Defense stated that a large plane crashed soon after takeoff, with many feared dead. The minister said with “deep sorrow” that an Air Force Hercules had crashed on takeoff from Puerto Leguízamo near the southern border with Ecuador.
RCN broadcast showed images of a badly damaged fuselage engulfed in flames in a forest. These aircraft are renowned for carrying around 100 troops.
“Military units are already at the scene. However, the number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been precisely determined,” the minister said on X.
The plane was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members, according to General Carlos Silva, commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force. More than 100 of those on board were military professionals.
The military plane took off from Caucaya Airport and was flying over a rural area moments before it went down. Footage indicates the crash happened less than two miles from the airport. Nicolas Ordonez, an indigenous ranger who helped in the search and rescue, told CNN that several survivors were taken to a local hospital.
Flight data retrieved shows that the plane was a C-130H Hercules, an older model of the C-130 series that first entered service in March 1965. As per Lockheed Martin, the plane had been donated to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020.
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