At 34 killed in Colombia military plane crash

A military plane crash in Colombia leaves 125 aboard, with at least 48 survivors rescued amid ongoing recovery efforts.

At least 34 were killed ‌on Monday ‌(March 23, 2026) when ‌a ⁠Colombian ⁠Air Force ​plane ‌carrying 125 people crashed just ‌after ​takeoff, the ⁠Governor of Colombia’s ‌Putumayo department said.

A military transport plane with 125 people on board crashed shortly after taking off Monday (March 23, 2026) in southwestern Colombia, causing an undetermined number of casualties, officials in the South American country said.

Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that the plane was carrying troops when the “tragic accident” occurred in Puerto Leguizamo, a remote municipality in the Amazonian province of Putumayo, which borders Peru and Ecuador.

Images shared online by Colombian media outlets showed a black cloud of smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed, and a truck with soldiers rushing to the site.

Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of Colombia’s Air Force, later issued a video saying that 125 people were on board the Hercules C-130 plane, including 114 passengers and 11 crew members. Mr. Silva said that at least 48 people were rescued alive as rescue efforts continued at the crash site.

Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents.