Death toll rises to 69 in Colombian military plane crash

A total of 69 people died when a Colombian military plane crashed soon after takeoff earlier this week, the country's armed forces said in a statement on Tuesday, in an incident that injured 57 others.

The Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 transport plane was carrying 126 people and crashed after taking off from Puerto Leguizamo, on the border with Peru.

The plane was believed to have suffered an impact near the end of the runway as it was taking off, firefighter Eduardo San Juan Callejas told Caracol, with a wing of the plane later clipping a tree as it was plummeting.

The crash caused the plane to catch fire and detonate some sort of explosive devices on board, he added.

Residents of the remote area were the first to pull out survivors, with videos showing men speeding down a dirt road with wounded soldiers on the back of their motorcycles.

Military vehicles later arrived, though authorities said the crash site was difficult to reach, impeding rescue efforts.

The injured were transported to various hospitals, the armed forces said in the statement, while the remains of those who died will be identified by forensic officials in Bogota and then returned to their families. The cause of the crash is under investigation.