Government of Colombia rules out attack in military plane crash in El Putumayo

Published at: 23/03/2026 07:25 PM

Colombian authorities ruled out, in a preliminary assessment, “evidence of an attack” on the Hercules C-13 aircraft of that country's Air Force, which crashed in the town of Puerto Leguízamo, in the department of Putumayo, leaving 83 people injured.

“The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, falling to the ground approximately one and a half kilometers from the airfield and, as a result of the fire in the plane itself, part of the ammunition carried by the troop detonated, corresponding to the explosions heard in some videos that circulate on social networks,” said Defense Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez, quoted by the RT portal (Russia Today), upon his arrival at a meeting with the military and police leadership.

The accident led to the launch of an extensive rescue operation for the aircraft, which crashed to the ground a few minutes after taking off in the department of Putumayo, with 125 people on board, mostly soldiers. The accident has left, according to preliminary reports, at least eight dead and more than 80 injured, some in critical condition.

RE DACION MAZO