Hercules aircraft with 110 troops on board crashes in Colombia, dozens feared injured
A Hercules military aircraft reportedly carrying 110 Colombian soldiers crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday. Authorities confirmed that 20 people have been found so far following the incident in the Putumayo region of the country, as rescue teams remain in the area.
Shocking footage posted on social media shows an enormous cloud of dark grey smoke billowing into the sky as stunned onlookers rush over to the scene. Witnesses said the crash happened just minutes after takeoff, and the plane was believed to be traveling from Puerto Leguizamo to Puerto Asis.
Atención: Un avión Hércules de la @FuerzaAereaCol se accidentó saliendo de La Tagua, Putumayo. 110 soldados iban a bordo. Ya han sido rescatados 20 militares heridos. Situación en desarrollo. Vía @BluRadioCo pic.twitter.com/Jgb4tw74aP
— Ricardo Ospina (@ricarospina) March 23, 2026
The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the number of casualties is not currently known.
Colonel Zambrano of the Putumayo Police told El Tiempo that the injured were being taken to hospital. He said: "There are several injured; they are being evacuated to the health center.
"That’s all I have. It’s an Air Force plane; minutes after taking off from the airport, it crashed."
"I express my deepest condolences to the families of those affected and, out of respect for their grief, I urge everyone to avoid speculation until official information is available."
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said "all protocols" for helping those on board and their loved ones had been "activated" and expressed his "deepest condolences".
He wrote on X: "All protocols for assisting the victims and their families have been activated, as well as the corresponding investigation.
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