A Colombian Air Force plane has crashed in the south of the country, leaving at least eight people dead.
Air force commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said 114 army personnel were on board, as well as 11 crew members. He reported that 48 people were rescued from the wreckage with injuries and are currently hospitalized.
Regional governor Jhon Gabriel Molina later confirmed that eight people have died and over 80 were injured in Monday's incident.
The US-made C-130 Hercules, utilized for troop transport, went down near the town of Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province.
Emergency workers have been dispatched to the area to search through the wreckage for any additional survivors.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed deep sadness over the incident, describing it as a tragic accident during the plane’s takeoff.
Images from local media display plumes of smoke rising from the crash site, with trucks conveying soldiers toward the area. Footage shows locals assisting injured soldiers using small motorcycles to reach hospitals.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the accident, stating that it should not have happened and blamed bureaucratic issues for delays in modernizing military equipment.
Last month, a similar C-130 Hercules from the Bolivian Air Force crashed while transporting banknotes, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 individuals.
