Colombia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday that a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane was involved in a crash in the south of the country, with local broadcaster BluRadio reporting that 110 soldiers were traveling on board.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said the accident happened when the plane was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Amazon region of southern Colombia, on the border with Peru, while transporting Armed Forces troops.
“The exact number of victims and the causes of the accident have not yet been determined,” he said.
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BluRadio cited authorities as saying that 110 soldiers were on board and that the accident occurred just 3 km from an urban center.
US defense contractor Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In late February, another C-130 Hercules belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the populated city of El Alto, narrowly missing a residential block.
More than 20 people died and another 30 were injured, and banknotes from the plane’s cargo scattered across the city, provoking clashes between residents and security forces.
