At least 66 killed in military plane crash in Colombia, head of armed forces says

A military transport plane with 121 people on board, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, killing at least 33 people and leaving at least 81 injured, according to the town’s deputy mayor.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A military transport plane with 128 people on board, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured, the head of Colombia’s armed forces said.

General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto said that four military personnel were still missing.

“Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died,” he said.

“At the moment, we have no information, or indications, that it was an attack by an illegal armed group,” Barreto added.

In a video posted on social media, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said that the bodies of the victims were taken to the small town’s morgue, and that the only two clinics in town treated the injured before they were flown to larger cities. Puerto Leguízamo is located in Putumayo, an Amazonian province that borders Ecuador and Peru.