DEVELOPINGColombia Military Plane Crash Kills at Least 65, Injures Overseas Crew Members and Ground Personnel
A Colombian Air Force Lockheed military transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff in southwestern Colombia, killing at least sixty-five people and injuring seventy-seven others. The aircraft was carrying one hundred twenty-eight passengers on Monday morning when it struck the ground near a town where dozens were initially feared dead but have since been rescued or confirmed deceased by officials from Bogotá to Bogota authorities who stated that over fifty soldiers died in this disaster which has now claimed more than sixty lives total including those injured overseas.
Key Points
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1A Colombian Air Force Hercules C-130 transport plane carrying mostly soldiers crash ed just hours after takeoff near Puerto Leguizamo in southwestern Colombia.
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2The death toll has risen to at least 66 people, with dozens more injured and many additional casualties feared dead as authorities continue recovery efforts.
Developments
Perspectives
At least 66 people were killed when a Colombian Air Force transport plane carrying mostly soldiers crashed shortly after takeoff in southwestern Colombia.
— [Mar 24, 00:01] At 34 killed in Colombia military plane crash (Thehindu)A military source told AFP that two platoons -- totaling about 80 people -- were feared to have been aboard the Hercules aircraft which crashed on takeoff from Puerto Leguizamo.
— [Mar 23, 17:59] Colombian Military Says 80 Troops Believed Dead in Plane Crash (Deccanchronicle)The death toll rose to at least 66 by Monday evening as authorities continued pulling bodies from the wreckage of a plane that had originally carried about 121 people.
— [Mar 23, 08:57] Military Plane Crash in Colombia Kills At Least One (Feed.koreatimes.co.kr)A Colombian military transport plane with mostly soldiers on board crashed Monday near the Peru-Ecuador border; at least eight dozen were rescued alive.
— [Mar 23, 18:04] Dozens of people are feared dead after a Colombia Military cargo Plane Crashed (CBS News)The aircraft went down in Puerto Leguizamo near the southern Amazon region shortly before takeoff; dozens were injured and many more remain unaccounted for.
— [Mar 23, 18:40] Colombian Air Force plane crashes with scores of soldiers on board (BBC News)A military Hercules C-130 carrying at least 121 people crashed shortly after takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia. The accident resulted in one confirmed death and injuries for over a dozen survivors as rescue efforts continued near the crash site two kilometers from the airport.
The death toll from a Colombian Air Force Hercules C-130 crash near Peru rose to at least 66, with authorities confirming impacts on takeoff and an explosion that caused fire. President Gustavo Petro criticized bureaucratic delays in military modernization following the incident while several election candidates called for investigations into what remains unclear regarding discrepancies between reported passenger numbers and initial casualty figures.
A military transport aircraft carrying 128 people crashed shortly after takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia. At least six soldiers remain missing while officials report no evidence of an attack by illegal armed groups and are awaiting further details on the cause from air force investigators who confirmed a mechanical problem led to the crash two kilometers from the airport.