March 24, 2026 | 09:55 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of fatalities from the crash of a Hercules C-130 military transport plane in Putumayo, Colombia, has reached 66, according to Caracol as quoted by Antara on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Previously, the broadcasting agency reported 48 fatalities in the incident, while dozens of others were injured.
At least 66 fatalities are confirmed: 58 from the National Army, six from the Colombian Air Force, and two from the National Police. According to the report, there were 128 military personnel on the ill-fated aircraft, not 125 as previously reported.
The Colombian Air Force stated on Monday that the Hercules C-130 plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Puerto Leguizamo, Putumayo. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined, and the investigation is ongoing.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez stated on X that the "tragic accident" occurred in Puerto Leguizamo, a remote town in the Amazon province of Putumayo, bordering Peru and Ecuador.
The air force said the Lockheed Martin-made Hercules C-130 was transporting soldiers to another town in the Putumayo province.
Sanchez mentioned that the plane hit the ground just 1.5 km from the takeoff point. Ammunition carried inside the aircraft exploded due to the fire on the plane, he added. There is no indication of an "attack by illegal actors," Sanchez said.
Carlos Fernando Silva, commander of the Colombian Air Force, said that two planes with 74 beds have been sent to the area to transport the injured back to hospitals in the capital, Bogota, and elsewhere.
Colombia acquired its first Hercules C-130 in the late 1960s and recently modernized some older models with units sent from the United States.
Last month, a Hercules C-130 of the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the city of El Alto, narrowly missing a residential building. More than 20 people died in that accident, and 30 others were injured.
Read: Colombia Military Plane Crashes Killing Dozens
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