66 dead, over 50 rescued in Colombia plane crash
66 people have been reported dead and over 50 rescued in a military plane crash in Colombia.
While the cause of the crash is currently being investigated, the aircraft according to reports was conveying 128 personnel from the National Army.
According to officials of the defense ministry, the dead included 58 members of the army, six members of the air force and two police officers. Four people were still unaccounted for.
A military source noted that as many as 50 people may have survived when the Hercules aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border.
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez expressing grief at the incident wrote on social media:
“Military units are already at the scene. The number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been confirmed.
“It is a deeply painful event for the country. May our prayers bring some measure of comfort.”
Colombian officials said they were still investigating the cause of the crash. The commander of the Colombian Air Force, Gen. Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda said in a video:
“At this time we don’t have any more details except that as soon as it took off, the airplane suffered a problem and descended toward the ground, a couple of kilometers from the airport.”
This would be the second crash by a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in under a month, as a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near La Paz on February 27, with 24 deaths recorded.
