A Colombian Air Force transport plane has crashed in the south of the country, close to the border with Peru. The aircraft, a US-made C-130 Hercules used for troop transport, went down near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province. Local media reports indicate that approximately 80 soldiers were on board at the time of the accident on Monday, with some sources suggesting the number could exceed 100.

Emergency responders have been dispatched to the area. Reuters news agency, citing two military sources, reported that 71 people have been rescued alive from the wreckage. However, the exact number of casualties remains unknown. Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez described the incident as "deeply sad for the country" and stated that the plane suffered "a tragic accident while it was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, transporting troops of our security forces".

Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X, expressing hope that "we won't have fatalities in this horrendous accident which should not have happened". In a lengthy message, he blamed "bureaucratic problems" for delaying his plans to modernize the armed forces' equipment and aircraft. "I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake," he wrote, without clarifying the potential cause of the crash.

Images and footage shared by local media show a plume of smoke rising from the crash site and locals transporting what appear to be injured soldiers to hospitals on the back of small motorbikes. This incident raises serious concerns about the safety of military transport aircraft in Colombia. It follows last month's crash of a Bolivian Air Force C-130 Hercules that was transporting banknotes, which killed at least 20 people in the west of that country.

Source: www.bbc.com