A military aircraft carrying 121 passengers, predominantly soldiers, crashed shortly after departure on Monday in southwestern Colombia. The tragic incident resulted in at least one confirmed fatality and left 77 individuals injured, with fears that the death toll could rise.

Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez detailed on X that the disaster unfolded in Puerto Leguizamo, a secluded area within the Amazonian province of Putumayo. This region is strategically positioned near the borders of Peru and Ecuador.

Colombian media outlets circulated images depicting a dense plume of smoke billowing from the crash site, a field where the aircraft went down. Soldiers could be seen hastily converging on the scene, underscoring the urgency of the rescue efforts.

The air force released a statement confirming that 77 individuals had been rescued from the wreckage with varying degrees of injury, as efforts to reach more victims continued. Despite the ongoing rescue operations, at least one person has been declared deceased, as noted in a military command statement shared by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

The ill-fated aircraft, identified as a Hercules C-130, was transporting 110 soldiers alongside 11 crew members at the time of the crash. The investigation into the cause of this devastating accident is ongoing, as the nation mourns the loss and prays for the recovery of those injured.

The air force said that 121 people were on board the Hercules C-130 plane, including 110 soldiers and 11 crew members. 

It added that the plane had been transporting soldiers to another city in Putumayo province. 

Officials earlier had said 125 people were on board. 

A military plane with 121 people on board, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in southwestern Colombia, killing at least one and leaving at least 77 injured, with many more feared dead 

The air force said in a statement that at least 77 people were rescued from the crash site with injuries, as rescue efforts were continuing

Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents. 

Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of Colombia’s air force, said details of the crash were not yet known, ‘except that the plane had a problem and went down about two kilometers from the airport.’

The air force commander added that two planes, with 74 beds, had been sent to the area to fly the injured back to hospitals in the capital, Bogota, and elsewhere.

Petro seized on the accident to promote what he called his long-time campaign to modernize planes and other equipment used by his country’s military.

He said those efforts have been blocked by ‘bureaucratic difficulties’ and suggesting that some officials should be held accountable. 

‘If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to the challenge, they must be removed,’ Petro said.

Sánchez wrote that the accident was ‘profoundly painful for the country,’ adding that: ‘We hope that our prayers can help to relieve some of the pain.’

Erich Saumeth, a Colombian aviation expert and military analyst, said that the Hercules C-130 that crashed on Monday had been donated by the United States to Colombia in 2020. 

An ambulance transports victims of a plane crash to the Central Military Hospital in Bogota

In this photo distributed by Colombia’s Armed Forces press office, people who were injured on a military cargo plane that crashed shortly after take off are loaded on to another military plane to evacuate them for treatment

Three years later, it went through a detailed revision known as an overhaul, in which its engine was inspected and key components were replaced.

‘I don’t think this plane crashed because of a lack of good parts,’ Saumeth said. He said that investigations will have to determine why the engines of the Hercules, which has four propellers, failed so quickly after take off.

In a message on X Monday, Defense Minister Sánchez said that so far there were no signs indicating that the plane was attacked by rebel groups that operate near Puerto Leguizamo.

Sánchez wrote that the accident was ‘profoundly painful for the country,’ adding that: ‘We hope that our prayers can help to relieve some of the pain.’