A Colombian air force plane crashed moments after takeoff in the south of the country. Authorities say at least 66 people have been killed and dozens injured.
Air force commander Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said the plane was carrying 114 military personnel and 11 crew members.
The plane, a US-made C-130 Hercules, which is used to transport military personnel, went down near the town of Puerto Leguizamo in the Putumayo province.
Emergency workers were sent to the scene and were seen searching for survivors in the wreckage. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 transport plane “suffered a tragic accident while taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, carrying personnel from our security forces.”
He called the incident, which occurred near the Peruvian border, “a great tragedy for the country.”
A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers, six air force personnel and two police officers were killed.
Two military sources also told Reuters that the death toll was 66.
The incident is one of the deadliest accidents in the recent history of the Colombian air force.
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