Southern Colombia, March 24: At least 66 people died and many were injured when a military plane carrying 125 people crashed shortly after takeoff in southern Colombia, officials said.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said in an interview that the tragic accident occurred in Puerto Leguizamo, a remote town in the Putumayo region in the Amazon region.
The region borders Peru and Ecuador. Putumayo Governor Juan Gabriel Molina told local media outlet Caracol Noticias that 66 people were killed and 21 others were still missing.
According to the air force, the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 was transporting soldiers to another city in Putumayo province.
According to Sanchez, the plane crashed just 1.5 km from takeoff. The explosives on board were detonated by fire. Sanchez said there was no immediate indication of an attack by illegal groups or terrorists.
According to Colombian Air Force Commander Carlos Fernando Silva, two planes with 74 beds were sent to transport the injured to various hospitals, including in the capital Bogota.
Colombia received its first Hercules C-130 aircraft in the late 1960s and has recently replaced some of its older C-130s with newer models from the United States.
Last month, another Bolivian Air Force Hercules C-130 crashed in the city of El Alto. More than 20 people were killed and 30 injured in that crash.