Eight Colombian soldiers die in helicopter crash near Venezuela border

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Sep 2024 02:59
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirms the incident occurred in the eastern department of Vichada.

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Wreckage of the helicopter that crashed during a humanitarian mission near the Venezuela-Colombia border, tragically killing eight Colombian soldiers. (Social media)

Eight Colombian soldiers died early Sunday when the helicopter transporting them on a humanitarian mission crashed near the Venezuelan border, according to authorities.

The incident occurred in the eastern department of Vichada, President Gustavo Petro confirmed via X (formerly Twitter).

Lamento informar el fallecimiento de 8 miembros de la @FuerzaAereaCol quienes se desplazaban en una misión humanitaria en el departamento del Vichada, su helicóptero se precipitó a tierra. Un abrazo de solidaridad a sus familias en medio de esta noticia que enluta al país.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) September 29, 2024

After a search operation, the Air Force located the helicopter’s wreckage in a rural area of Cumaribo, confirming that none of the crew survived.

Photos shared by local media displayed the charred remains of the helicopter, lying in a grassland.

El presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro, confirmó que un helicóptero de la Fuerza Aérea Colombiana se estrelló en el departamento del Vichada cobrando la vida de ocho personas, quienes se desplazaban en una misión humanitaria. #29Sep pic.twitter.com/QYH7IM87Zr
— FM Center Es Noticia (@FMCenterNoticia) September 29, 2024

The crash marks the latest in a series of military aircraft incidents in Colombia this year. In April, another helicopter crash killed nine soldiers in the north of the country, and in February, four soldiers perished when a Black Hawk chopper crashed near the Panama border.

Additionally, five police officers died in a February helicopter crash in the Antioquia department.

While armed groups are active in Colombia, they have not been linked to these crashes, with some analysts instead pointing to aging military equipment as a potential cause.