Navy transport aircraft crashes in Colombia with 121 onboard, dozens lifeless

[ad_1] A navy transport aircraft with 121 individuals on board, largely troopers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, killing not less than 33 individuals and leaving not less than 81 injured, in line with the city's deputy mayor.

In a video posted on social media, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros stated that the our bodies of the victims have been taken to the small city's morgue, and that the one two clinics on the town handled the injured earlier than they have been flown to bigger cities. Puerto Leguizamo is situated in Putumayo, an Amazonian province that borders Ecuador and Peru.

“I need to thank the individuals of Puerto Leguizamo who got here out to assist the victims of this accident,” Claros informed Colombian tv station RCN.

Protection Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on X that the aircraft that crashed Monday was transporting troops to a different metropolis in Putumayo.

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Photographs shared on-line by Colombian media shops confirmed a black cloud of smoke rising from a subject the place the aircraft crashed and a truck with troopers dashing to the positioning.

The air pressure stated in a press release that not less than 77 individuals have been rescued from the crash web site with accidents. A spokesman from the Protection Ministry stated that officers are nonetheless investigating the ultimate variety of fatalities.

An announcement from the navy command posted on-line by Colombian President Gustavo Petro had beforehand confirmed one lifeless.

The air pressure stated that 121 individuals have been on board the Hercules C-130 aircraft, together with 110 troopers and 11 crew members.

Media shops shared movies of troopers being rushed from the positioning on bikes pushed by native residents, whereas one other group of residents tried to place out the hearth that the aircraft crash had created in a subject surrounded by dense foliage.

Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of Colombia’s air pressure, stated particulars of the crash weren't but identified, "besides that the aircraft had an issue and went down about two kilometers from the airport.”

The air pressure commander added that two planes, with 74 beds, have been despatched to the world to fly the injured again to hospitals within the capital, Bogota, and elsewhere.

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Critics of the president identified that navy plane have been given much less flight hours below the Petro administration as a result of finances cuts, which ends up in much less skilled crews.

Erich Saumeth, a Colombian aviation professional and navy analyst, stated that the Hercules C-130 that crashed on Monday had been donated by the US to Colombia in 2020. Three years later, it went by means of an in depth revision referred to as an overhaul, during which its engine was inspected and key parts have been changed.

“I do not assume this aircraft crashed due to an absence of fine components,” Saumeth stated. He stated that investigations should decide why the engines of the Hercules, which has 4 propellers, failed so shortly after take off.

In a message on X Monday, Protection Minister Sánchez stated that to this point there have been no indicators indicating that the aircraft was attacked by insurgent teams that function close to Puerto Leguizamo.

Sánchez wrote that the accident was “profoundly painful for the nation,” including that: “We hope that our prayers can assist to alleviate a number of the ache.”