Colombian military plane with 125 onboard crashes after take off, dozens rescued

The crash took place as the plane, a ​Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane, was taking off ⁠from Puerto Leguizamo, deep in Colombia's southern ​Amazon region on the border with Peru.

2 min readMar 24, 2026 07:41 AM IST First published on: Mar 23, 2026 at 10:19 PM IST
COLOMBIA CrashColombia military plane crash involved a C-130, carrying 110 soldiers occurred near the Peru border during takeoff in the Amazon region. (Photo: X/ @ricarospina)

Colombia’s defence ministry on Monday said that a military plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the south of the country, near the border with Peru, with officials confirming 125 people were traveling onboard.

The crash took place as the plane, a ​Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane, was taking off ⁠from Puerto Leguizamo, deep in Colombia’s southern ​Amazon region on the border with Peru, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said, Reuters reported.

“The exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been ​determined. The plane suffered a tragic accident while it was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, transporting troops of our security forces,” Sanchez added.

Authorities said 110 ​soldiers were on board when the crash took place which was just 3 kilometres from an urban centre, Reuters reported quoting BluRadio.

Colombia President Gustavo Petro said, “I hope there are no fatalities in this horrific accident that should never have happened.”

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