Colombia military plane crash death toll rises to 69, president blames US for ‘junk’ aircraft

The wreckage of the Air Force Hercules aircraft that crashed during takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, near the southern border with Ecuador, on March 24. Photo / Daniel Ortiz, AFP

The death toll in one of Colombia’s worst air accidents in recent years has risen to at least 69, according to an updated tally, as the Government faulted a “junk” aircraft donated by the United States.

The C-130 Hercules plane, manufactured in 1983, crashed to the ground yesterday, 1km from the runway it had taken off from in the Amazonian town of Puerto Leguizamo, near the border with Peru.

The aircraft was carrying 126 people as well as ammunition, according to the latest information, which revised downward the number of people on board.

The accident, which is still under investigation, left 57 soldiers injured, as well as residents who rushed in trying to rescue survivors and were wounded by exploding munitions in the wreckage.

Left-wing President Gustavo Petro is blaming his predecessor Ivan Duque for having accepted a “junk” plane from the United States.

“Extremely expensive gifts. The maintenance costs more than a new plane – and how much are the lives lost worth? Question: Why did you buy a plane with 43 years of service?” he wrote on X, adding that he had requested the replacement of the Hercules aircraft a year ago.

Duque called Petro “vile and unintelligent” and urged him to conduct “an investigation that includes the weight” the plane was carrying at takeoff and the condition of the small airport’s runway.

The Defence Ministry ruled out an attack by guerrilla groups operating in the territory, where coca, the source of cocaine, is grown.

Jhon Molina, governor of the Putumayo department where the crash occurred, told Blu Radio that the airport “has several problems” and “needs more investment”.

The crash site can only be reached by plane or a five-hour boat journey from the departmental capital Puerto Asis.

The help provided by local residents during the rescue was key to preventing the death toll from being even higher, Molina said.

Images of people forming human chains to throw water and residents taking the injured away on motorcycles went viral on social media.

The bodies of the victims will be transferred to Bogota for forensic investigations, the National Institute of Legal Medicine said.

– Agence France-Presse