In brief
In a recent military plane crash in Colombia, 66 personnel from the country's security forces lost their lives, while search operations are ongoing for four missing soldiers. The cause of the accident, which occurred shortly after take-off from Puerto Leguízamo, is under investigation. President Gustavo Petro has suggested the need for modernization of military aircraft to prevent future tragedies.
Rescue workers in Colombia are searching for four people who are missing after a military plane crashed in the southern part of the country. Sixty-six members of the Colombian security forces were killed on Monday when the Hercules C-130 transport plane came down shortly after take-off near Colombia's border with Peru.
Locals were first to the scene, pulling out dozens of injured survivors from the burning wreckage and ferrying them to hospitals on the back of their motorbikes. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident.
A total of 128 people were on board the transport plane, which was headed from the town of Puerto Leguízamo to Puerto Asís. Colombian President Gustavo Petro appeared to blame antiquated military hardware for the accident, suggesting that bureaucratic issues were delaying the modernization plans for military equipment.
Mobile phone footage shared on social media showed the plane losing height shortly after take-off, followed by a large plume of smoke rising from the crash site. Colombia's defense minister indicated that the sounds of explosions came from ammunition on board the plane exploding in the flames.
The crash has raised significant concerns about the safety of aging military aircraft, following another recent incident involving a C-130 in Bolivia.
