Stephen J. By Bose, Chief International Correspondent of Worthy News
Bogota (meaningful news) – Several Colombian soldiers are feared dead and dozens injured after a military transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the country’s remote southern Amazon region, officials said Monday, as Colombia’s defense minister urged prayers for those affected in the largely Catholic country.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said, “This incident is extremely painful for the country.” “We hope our prayers can help provide some relief from the pain.”
Sanchez confirmed that the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules plane carrying troops crashed near the jungle town of Puerto Leguizamo, near the Peruvian border.
Major General Carlos Fernando Silva, head of the Colombian Air Force, said there were 11 air force personnel and 114 soldiers on board.
At least 48 injured people were rescued and taken for treatment, Silva said, but officials did not immediately confirm the number of survivors or deaths.
Rescue efforts continue in remote areas
Officials said rescue teams were deployed to the crash site, although operations were complicated due to the remote jungle terrain and limited infrastructure.
Video footage reviewed by Worthy News shows residents of Puerto Leguizamo moving to aid emergency efforts, using motorcycles to evacuate wounded soldiers from the crash site.
President Gustavo Petro described the accident as a “terrible accident that should never have happened”.
In a lengthy statement, Petro said efforts to modernize Colombia’s military fleet have been hampered by “bureaucratic difficulties.”
“If civilian or military administrative officials are not ready for this challenge, they should be removed,” he said.
Leaders react to “terrible accident”
Political leaders across the country also expressed condolences and demanded a full investigation into the causes of the accident.
The cause of the accident could not be immediately known.
Defense Minister Sanchez said emergency teams had been dispatched and stressed the national impact of the tragedy.
Images circulated on social media showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from the crash site, as soldiers and civilians rushed to aid survivors.
Lockheed Martin, the US manufacturer of the C-130 aircraft, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cause unknown when investigation begins
The crash comes just weeks after another C-130 plane operated by the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the city of El Alto, killing more than 20 people and injuring dozens.
It also follows a separate incident in the United States, where investigators are probing a collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, which killed both pilots and injured several others.
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