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

Source: The Associated Press, via NPR

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

March 24, 2026 1:58 AM ET
By The Associated Press


People stand around a military cargo plane that crashed after taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, a remote municipality in the Amazonian province of Putumayo, Monday, March 23, 2026.
MiPutumayo/via AP

BOGOTA, 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.

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Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that the plane that crashed Monday was transporting troops to another city in Putumayo. ... 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.

The airplane had 128 people on board, including 115 were from the Army, 11 crew members and 2 from the National Police. Baretto said 57 people were evacuated.

Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents, while another group of residents tried to put out the fire that the plane crash had created in a field surrounded by dense foliage.

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Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/03/24/g-s1-114924/at-least-66-killed-in-military-plane-crash-in-colombia-head-of-armed-forces-says