In the incident, 58 of the deceased were members of the National Army, six were representatives of the Colombian Air and Space Forces, and two were from the National Police. In total, there were about 125 military personnel on board the plane, of which 77 were injured and hospitalized.
The crash occurred on March 23, when the plane was on a flight from Puerto Leguízamo to Puerto Asís. The commander of the Air and Space Forces, General Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda, confirmed that military personnel were on board.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the plane was in good condition; however, it crashed shortly after takeoff, landing approximately one and a half kilometers from the airfield. He also noted that there were no signs of external interference and that some munitions being transported detonated as a result of a fire on board.
To assist the injured, two medical aircraft were dispatched: one with 50 stretchers and the other with 24. The wounded were transported to hospitals in Neiva, Florencia, and Bogotá.
