At least 66 killed in military plane crash in Colombia, head of armed forces says

Key Points:

• A military transport plane carrying 128 people, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, resulting in at least 66 deaths and multiple injuries, according to Colombia’s armed forces chief General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto.
• The plane included 115 Army personnel, 11 crew members, and 2 National Police officers; 57 people were evacuated, and four military personnel remain missing.
• Authorities reported no evidence of an attack by illegal armed groups, with the crash occurring about two kilometers from the airport due to an unspecified problem with the aircraft.
• The plane, a Hercules C-130 donated by the U.S. in 2020 and overhauled three years later, is under investigation to determine the cause of the engine failure shortly after takeoff.
• President Gustavo Petro used the incident to call for modernization of military equipment, criticizing bureaucratic obstacles, while some critics noted reduced flight hours for military aircraft under his administration due to budget cuts.