A Colombian Air Force (FAC) C-130 Hercules plane crashed after taking off with 128 people on board from the Amazonian city of Puerto Leguízamo in the Putumayo department, leaving at least 66 military personnel dead, 57 injured, four missing, and one person unharmed. "On board the aircraft were 128 people, including 11 FAC crew members, 115 men from the National Army, and two from the National Police," stated the commander of the Military Forces, General Hugo Alejandro López, on Monday night, clarifying that the plane was carrying three more people than the 125 initially reported. "Unfortunately, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military personnel died and are in the process of identification," added General López. According to his report, 58 of the deceased were Army members, six were FAC crew members, and the other two were National Police officers. "The country will know the truth," stated the Minister of Defense, a retired FAC general. According to the specialized portal SA Defensa, the crashed aircraft was 43 years old, having entered service with the United States Air Force in 1983, which then transferred it to the Colombian Air Force in 2020. Unity in the rescue efforts. The rescue operation involved the National Navy, which has a base in Puerto Leguízamo, Civil Defense rescuers, and dozens of local residents who, upon witnessing the plane's fall, ran to the scene to help the injured. Many of the injured were taken on motorcycles to the María Angelines Hospital. Initial care for the injured was difficult because the health services in Puerto Leguízamo are limited, as it is a municipality disconnected from the rest of the country by road, accessible only by air or by river in an eight-hour journey. For this reason, the FAC sent an ambulance plane and another C-130 Hercules 'with a capacity for 50 stretchers to carry out a massive transport of the injured,' as well as a Casa 295 plane with 24 stretchers from Bogotá,' stated the FAC commander, General Carlos Fernando Silva. A medicalized UH60 helicopter was also sent to transport the injured to nearby cities such as Neiva and Florencia, capitals of the Huila and Caquetá departments, respectively. The accident has sparked a political controversy during the presidential election campaign on May 31st, regarding the cut in the Defense budget, which, according to government opponents, affects the maintenance of military aircraft. "Mr. President, if you dedicated yourself more to governing than to campaigning for your party and candidate, you would have carried out this and other essential government actions on time to guarantee the security of our troops, people, and territories," wrote presidential candidate Claudia López on her X account in response to a post by Petro, in which he said that years ago his government decided on the 'renewal of the military's armament,' but this has not been possible due to 'bureaucratic difficulties in military administration.' 'Four of our military personnel are still to be located,' indicated the military chief. The military leader added that there are 57 injured military personnel who were evacuated, eight of whom were transferred to the city of Florencia, capital of the neighboring Caquetá department, and 49 to Bogotá. Of the injured transferred to the capital, 19 are receiving attention at the Military Hospital and another 30 'who are not seriously injured' were admitted to the Military Health Battalion, added General López. Throughout the day, there was confusion about the victims of the disaster, as the plane caught fire after crashing in a remote jungle area, on the outskirts of Puerto Leguízamo, an Amazonian city located near the border with Ecuador and Peru. 'As a consequence of the aircraft's fire, part of the ammunition being transported by the troops detonated,' which aggravated the situation at the crash site, according to Minister of Defense Pedro Sánchez Suárez. 'According to the information available so far, there are no signs of an attack by illegal actors,' added the Defense Minister, as several dissident groups from the former FARC guerrilla operate in the area, such as the so-called Border Commands and the Carolina Ramírez Front, which control illicit crops in Putumayo. The accident occurred at 9:50 local time (14:50 GMT) when the FAC 1016 plane, which had just taken off from Puerto Leguízamo bound for Puerto Asís, also in Putumayo, crashed to the ground for reasons still unknown. 'The investigation will be rigorous, transparent, and with maximum possible celerity.'
