A Colombian military transport aircraft carrying around 110 soldiers was involved in a horrific accident while taking off from a remote airport in the country’s southern Amazon region near the border with Peru. Authorities said the aircraft went down shortly after departure, prompting an emergency response, while the exact number of casualties remains unclear. The aircraft had taken off from Puerto Leguizamo in Putumayo department, a sparsely populated area deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon basin, close to the Peruvian border.
Local radio station BluRadio reported that the plane came down roughly 3 kilometres from an urban centre shortly after take-off.
Con profundo dolor informo que un avión Hércules de nuestra @FuerzaAereaCol sufrió un trágico accidente mientras despegaba de Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo), cuando transportaba tropas de nuestra Fuerza Pública.
Unidades militares ya se encuentran en el lugar de los hechos; sin…
— Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol) March 23, 2026
Crash In Remote Amazon Region
According to reports, the aircraft was carrying troops from Colombia’s public forces at the time of the accident. Emergency teams, military personnel and local authorities were deployed to the crash site, which is located in a difficult-to-access jungle region. Officials said assistance protocols for victims and their families had been activated, and a formal investigation was underway to determine what led to the crash.
President Orders Urgent Military Review
President Gustavo Petro reacted to the incident by calling for urgent modernisation of the country’s military equipment, saying bureaucratic delays had slowed planned upgrades to transport aircraft and helicopters.
In a statement, Petro said the lives of young soldiers were at stake and insisted that the armed forces must improve mobility and operational capability, particularly in remote regions affected by ageing aircraft and limited transport capacity.
La renovación del armamento de las fuerzas militares es una decisión de mi presidencia desde hace años.
Las dificultades burocráticas en la administración militar no han permitido realizar el Conpes/confis desde hace un año que lo pedí.
Si los funcionarios administrativos… https://t.co/w4lXrnvqz8
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 23, 2026
He added that he hoped there would be no fatalities in what he described as a horrific accident, while urging officials to avoid speculation until confirmed information is released.
The Colombian military has not yet issued a final statement on casualties, and the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
