A military transport plane carrying 125 people has crashed in Colombia killing at least one person.<\/p>\n
The country’s defence minister Pedro Anulfo Sanchez said on Monday the Lockheed Martin Hercules \u200cC-130 plane had “suffered a tragic accident”.<\/p>\n
Mr Sanchez said he hoped the prayers of Colombians<\/a> would help alleviate the “pain” of the families of the victims.<\/p>\n 77 people have been rescued and taken to hospital, leaving around 40 individuals unaccounted for, authorities said.<\/p>\n Datawrapper<\/p>\n This content is provided by Datawrapper, which may be using cookies and other technologies. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies. Enable Cookies<\/a> Colombian Air Force Commander Fernando Silva said in a video posted on social \u200cmedia that the plane was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew, and that officials were still investigating the cause of the crash.<\/p>\n Early reports said that many on board were soldiers.<\/p>\n President Gustavo Petro<\/a> also commented – criticising those blocking his plans to modernise the military.<\/p>\n Colombia began buying C-130 planes as far back as the 1960s.<\/p>\n Mr Petro said in a post on X: “I hope there are \u2060no fatalities in this horrific accident that should never have happened.<\/p>\n “I will grant no further delays; it is the \u200clives of our young people that are at stake.<\/p>\n “If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed.”<\/p>\n The aircraft was taking off from an airport deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon<\/a> region, on the border with Peru.<\/p>\n The crash occurred just two miles from a busy urban centre, local media BluRadio claim.<\/p>\n Footage purporting to show the crash shows a military plane taking off over dense rainforest, before slowly descending back towards the ground.<\/p>\n Another clip shows locals transporting injured soldiers to safety on the back of their motorbikes.<\/p>\n Mr Sanchez said, in a translated X post: “With deep sorrow, I report that a Hercules aircraft from our [Colombian Aerospace Force] suffered a tragic accident while taking off from Puerto Legu\u00edzamo (Putumayo), while transporting troops from our Public Force.<\/p>\n “Military units are already at the scene; however, the number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been precisely determined.<\/p>\n “All protocols for assisting the victims and their families have been activated, as well as the corresponding investigation.<\/p>\n “I express my sincerest condolences to the families of those affected and, out of respect for their grief, I urge everyone to avoid speculation until official information is available.<\/p>\n “This is a profoundly painful event for the country.”<\/p>\n X<\/p>\n This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to X cookies. Enable Cookies<\/a> The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules is used by militaries across the world.<\/p>\n They were first launched in the 1950s and Colombia acquired its first models \u2060in the late 1960s.<\/p>\n Last month, another C-130 belonging to the Bolivian Air \u200bForce crashed in the city \u200bof Alto<\/a>, killing 20 and injuring another 30.<\/p>\n Banknotes from the plane’s cargo scattered around the city – prompting clashes between residents and security forces.<\/p>\n
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