BREAKING: Many Feared Dead After Colombian Military Plane Goes Down In Fiery Crash

Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said the accident involved a C-130 Hercules aircraft and occurred in Puerto Leguízamo.

Puerto Leguízamo is a town in Putumayo department, which borders Peru.

Many personnel are feared dead after the horrific crash.

Footage below:

BREAKING: Colombian Air Force plane carrying 110 people crashes near Puerto Leguízamo – local media pic.twitter.com/YroHAk1lHG

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) March 23, 2026

CNN shared further:

The plane was carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members, according to General Carlos Silva, commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force.

At least 48 people were rescued, he added.

A video geolocated by CNN shows the military plane taking off from Caucaya Airport and flying over a rural area moments before it went down. The footage indicates the crash happened less than two miles from the airport.

Images from the scene of the crash showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the wreckage.

Nicolas Ordoñez, an indigenous ranger involved in the search and rescue operations in Leguízamo, told CNN that several survivors had been taken to a local hospital.

Additional footage below:

NEW: Video shows Colombian Air Force plane losing altitude shortly before the crash. About 100 people were on board pic.twitter.com/5CdOGkEODu

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) March 23, 2026

According to Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez, A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed while taking off while transporting ~100 members of Colombia's Fuerza Pública. Military troops have already responded to the scene, but casualty counts have yet to be… pic.twitter.com/Lp4E6fcpog

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 23, 2026

More from The Guardian:

The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, described the crash as a “horrific accident that should never have happened”.

In a lengthy post, apparently attempting to pre-empt potential criticism, Petro said he had been trying to renew the military fleet for years but has been hindered by “bureaucratic difficulties”.

“If the civil or military administrative officials are not up to this challenge, they must be removed,” said Petro.

The leading candidates for the Colombian presidency – the first round of which will take place in late May, when Petro will not run as there is no re-election – also posted messages mourning the tragedy and calling for investigations into its causes.

Images shared online by local media outlets show a black cloud of smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed, a truck with soldiers rushing to the site and civilians trying to extinguish the fire.

Sánchez did not specify the number of troops who were onboard the Hercules C-130. He said rescue teams had been sent to the site of the crash and that the cause of the accident still had not been determined.

“This event is profoundly painful for the country,” Sánchez wrote. “We hope that our prayers can help to relieve some of the pain.”