Colombian military plane crash death toll rises to 69
The incident occurred in Puerto Leguízamo, deep within the Amazon region
ATT Desk Report 
The number of people killed when a Colombian military plane crashed after takeoff in the country’s south has risen to at least 69, with 57 others wounded, reports BBC.
The Lockheed Martin-built C-130 Hercules aircraft with 126 people on board went down on Monday, shortly after it had departed from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador and Peru, strewing burning wreckage onto the jungle floor.
Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed the accident occurred during takeoff while transporting troops of the security forces, describing the incident as "deeply sad for the country." He later stated that ammunition being carried on the aircraft detonated due to a fire, contributing to the tragedy.
Military sources provided conflicting figures, with one source telling AFP that 58 soldiers, six air force personnel, and two police officers had died—totaling 66 fatalities. Two military sources separately confirmed to Reuters that 66 people perished in the crash.
Local media shared images showing a plume of smoke rising from the crash site, with military trucks rushing to the area. Footage also showed residents transporting injured soldiers to hospitals on motorbikes.
The military said in a statement that the wounded had been transported to several hospitals, and the remains of the deceased were sent for identification by forensic officials in the capital, Bogota, before being returned to family members.
President Gustavo Petro expressed his grief on X, writing that "this horrendous accident ... should not have happened." In a lengthy post, he blamed "bureaucratic problems" for delaying his plans to modernise the armed forces' equipment and aircraft. "I will allow no further delays, the lives of our young people are at stake," he stated, without specifying the cause of the crash.
The incident follows a similar tragedy last month when a Bolivian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed in western Bolivia, killing at least 20 people.
Emergency workers continued searching through the wreckage for survivors as authorities launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.
