Colombian military plane with 110 soldiers onboard crashes following takeoff

A military transport plane, reportedly carrying 110 soldiers, was involved in an accident in Colombia‘s southern Amazon region on Monday, the country’s defence ministry has confirmed.

The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed shortly after departing from Puerto Leguizamo, a remote location deep within the Amazon near the Peruvian border.

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez stated the plane was transporting troops from the armed forces when the incident occurred.

Local outlet BluRadio, citing authorities, reported that 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft, which came down just three kilometres (two miles) from an urban centre.

However, Mr Sanchez cautioned that “the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined.”

US defence company Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the accident.

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.