This screen grab shows soldiers and rescuers near an Air Force Hercules emitting thick smoke after the aircraft crashed during takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, near the southern border with Ecuador, on March 23, 2026. Colombia’s military said on March 23 that about 80 troops were believed to be dead after a transport plane crash in the south of the country. (Photo by daniel ortiz / AFP)
A military transport plane crashed Monday when taking off in Colombia, officials said, with at least 80 people aboard though there were conflicting reports about how many troops were dead and injured.
As many as 50 people may have survived when the Hercules aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador, a military source said.
The troubled border area has been the scene of heavy military activity in recent weeks, as the Colombian and Ecuadoran militaries try to tackle drug-running cartels and militias.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. State broadcaster RCN broadcast images of a badly damaged fuselage aflame in a forest clearing.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed “deep sorrow” at the accident.
“Military units are already at the scene,” Sanchez posted on social media, adding that “the number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been confirmed.”
“It is a deeply painful event for the country. May our prayers bring some measure of comfort,” said Sanchez.
The crash is the second by a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in under a month.
A Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near La Paz on February 27, leaving at least 24 people dead.
The Hercules is a four-engine turboprop plane built by Lockheed Martin.
Renowned for its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips, it is widely used by militaries around the world and can carry everything from troops to vehicles.
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