A military transport plane with 125 people on board, most of them military personnel, crashed after taking off earlier today in southwestern Colombia, killing at least eight people and injuring at least 83, 14 of whom are in critical condition, DPA and the Associated Press reported, citing officials, BTA reported.
National Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Aix that the "tragic crash" The crash occurred in Puerto Leguizamo, a remote area in the Putumayo department, which borders Peru and Ecuador.
John Gabriel Molina, the governor of Putumayo, announced the death toll in a video message shared on Facebook, citing "great difficulties in evacuating the injured", AFP reported.
Images shared online by local media showed a black cloud of smoke rising from the site of the crash and a truck full of soldiers speeding towards it.
Carlos Fernandez Silva, commander of the Colombian Air Force, later released a video in which he said that aboard the "C-130 Hercules" There were 125 people on board, including 114 passengers and 11 crew members.
In a separate statement, the Colombian Air Force said at least 83 people had been rescued from the crash site with injuries, and rescue operations were ongoing. It said the plane was carrying 110 soldiers to another town in Putumayo department.
Media footage showed soldiers being rushed from the scene on motorcycles driven by locals.
"We do not have any more details at this time" about the crash, Silva said. "Besides, the plane had a problem and crashed about two kilometers from the airport," he added.
The commander of the Colombian air force said that two planes with a total of 74 beds on board had been sent to the area to transport the injured to hospitals in the capital Bogota and other cities.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro used the incident to promote what he called a long-standing campaign to modernize the planes and other equipment used by his country's armed forces, saying that the effort had been blocked by "bureaucratic difficulties" and hinting that some officials should be held accountable. "If civil or military administrative officials are not up to the challenge, they should be removed," Petro said.