A military transport plane carrying 128 people, mostly soldiers, crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens, the head of Colombia’s armed forces said.
General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto said four soldiers were still missing.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died,” he said.
“At this time we have no information or indications that it was an attack by an illegal armed group,” Barreto added.
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A Colombian military transport plane crashed near Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, shortly after takeoff on March 23, 2026, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens. (MiPutumayo via AP)
In a video on social media, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said the bodies of the victims had been taken to the small town’s morgue and the only two clinics in the city treated the injured before they were flown to bigger cities. Puerto Leguizamo is located in Putumayo, a province in the Amazon region bordering Ecuador and Peru.
“I want to thank the people of Puerto Leguizamo who came to help the victims of this accident,” Claros told Colombian television channel RCN.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that the plane that crashed on Monday was transporting troops to another town in Putumayo.
Images shared online by Colombian media showed a cloud of black smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed and a truck carrying soldiers rushing to the scene.
The plane had 128 people on board, including 115 from the army, 11 crew members and 2 from the National Police. Baretto said 57 people were evacuated.
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Emergency services and local residents rushed to help survivors after a deadly military plane crash in southern Colombia on March 23, 2026. (Press Office of the Armed Forces of Colombia via AP)
Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being led away from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents, while another group of residents tried to extinguish the fire caused by the plane crash in a field surrounded by dense foliage.
Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of the Colombian air force, said details of the crash were not yet known, “except that the plane had a problem and crashed about two kilometers from the airport.”
The air force commander added that two planes, with 74 beds, had been sent to the area to fly the wounded back to hospitals in the capital Bogota and elsewhere.
Petro used the accident to promote what he called his long campaign to modernize aircraft and other equipment used by his country’s military. He said these efforts were being blocked by “bureaucratic difficulties” and suggested some officials needed to be held accountable.
“If civilian or military administrative officials cannot meet the challenge, they should be removed,” Petro said.
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Officials say a C-130 plane carrying mostly soldiers crashed near Puerto Leguizamo on March 23, 2026, with no signs of an attack by armed groups. (Press Office of the Armed Forces of Colombia via AP)
Critics of the president pointed out that military aircraft have seen fewer flying hours under the Petro administration due to budget cuts, leading to less experienced crews.
Erich Saumeth, a Colombian aviation expert and military analyst, said the Hercules C-130 that crashed on Monday was donated to Colombia by the United States in 2020. Three years later it underwent a detailed overhaul, known as an overhaul, during which the engines were inspected and major components replaced.
“I don’t think this plane crashed because of a lack of good parts,” Saumeth said. He said an investigation will have to determine why the engines of the Hercules, which has four propellers, failed so soon after takeoff.
In a message on X Monday, Defense Minister Sánchez said there were no signs so far that the plane had been attacked by rebel groups operating near Puerto Leguizamo.
Sánchez wrote that the accident was “very painful for the country,” adding: “We hope that our prayers can help alleviate some of the pain.”
