34 Dead As Colombian Military Plane Carrying 125 Crashes After Takeoff

A military transport plane with 125 people on board crashed shortly after taking off Monday in southwestern Colombia, causing an undetermined number of casualties, officials said.

23 Mar 2026, 18:35 · NDTV

At least 34 people were killed when a Colombian Air Force plane carrying 125 people crashed just after takeoff deep in the country's southern Amazon region on Monday, authorities said.

"Unfortunately, the information is of 34 deaths," Luis Emilio Bustos, the mayor of the nearby town of Puerto Leguizamo, told Reuters.

Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putumayo department, said in an interview with local news outlet Caracol Noticias that 34 were killed and 21 still to be identified.

The accident occurred as the Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 transport plane was taking off from Puerto Leguizamo on the border with Peru, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on X.

The plane hit the ground just one and a half kilometers (one mile) away from where it took off, and ammunition being carried on board detonated as a result of a fire on the aircraft, he later said.

There was no indication of an "attack by illegal actors," and the plane was airworthy with a qualified crew ahead of departure, Sanchez added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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