Colombian military plane with 110 soldiers crashes
Colombia’s defense ministry reported that the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane was involved in an accident in the south of the country, and local broadcaster BluRadio reported that 110 soldiers were traveling on the plane.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said the crash occurred while the plane was carrying soldiers from the armed forces as it took off from Puerto Leguizamo, on the Peruvian border, deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon region.
“The exact number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been determined,” he said.
There is deep information that a new Hércules aircraft @FuerzaAereaCol had a tragic accident in Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo) during a new transport to Fuerza Publica. The troops are in the hands of military forces; sin…— Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol) March 23, 2026
BluRadio quoted officials as saying that there were 110 soldiers on the ship and that the accident occurred just 3 kilometers from the city center.
US defense company Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the end of February, another Bolivian Air Force Hercules C-130 crashed into the crowded city of Alto, barely missing a residential block.
More than 20 people died, 30 were injured, and the banknotes in the plane’s cargo were scattered across the city, sparking clashes between residents and security forces.
