Video Captures Colombian Air Force Plane’s Dramatic Fall Before Fatal Crash Near Ecuador; 66 Dead

Last Updated:March 24, 2026, 09:42 IST

Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared footage that appeared to show the aircraft trying to gain altitude before plunging to the ground.

At least 66 people have been killed and injured dozens of others, after a Colombian military plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew members crashed on takeoff early Monday.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador and Peru, scattering burning wreckage across the jungle floor. A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers were killed in the crash, along with six air force personnel and two police officers.

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Video footage circulating online showed the aircraft engulfed in flames.

Images from the scene released by AFP showed civilians climbing over the broken tail section of the aircraft, marked FAC 1016, while smoke and flames rose above the surrounding trees.

Expressing his “deep sorrow" over the disaster, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

“It is a deeply painful event for the country. May our prayers bring some measure of comfort," Sanchez said.

General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said that 114 troops were aboard and 11 crew members, travelling from Puerto Leguizamo to an Amazon outpost nearby.

“The airport is small and there are several difficulties" hindering the evacuation of bodies and the injured, Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putamayo region, said in a Facebook video.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared footage that appeared to show the aircraft trying to gain altitude before plunging to the ground.

In a post on X, he described the incident as a “horrific accident" and stressed the need to modernise Colombia’s military hardware, though he did not directly link the crash to the aircraft’s condition.

The incident marks the second C-130 Hercules crash in South America in less than a month. The four-engine turboprop aircraft is manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

On February 27, a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near La Paz, killing at least 24 people.

News world Video Captures Colombian Air Force Plane’s Dramatic Fall Before Fatal Crash Near Ecuador; 66 Dead

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