A Colombian military transport plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew members crashed shortly after takeoff in the country's southern Amazon region, with scores of casualties feared.

The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft went down as it was departing from Puerto Leguízamo, a town in southwestern Colombia near the border with Peru, according to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez. The plane was transporting troops from the armed forces when the accident occurred.

Sánchez described the incident as a "tragic accident," though the cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The defense minister confirmed the aircraft was carrying 125 people, including both soldiers and crew members.

Puerto Leguízamo is located deep in Colombia's Amazon rainforest region, an area that has been central to the country's ongoing security operations. The remote location of the crash site may complicate rescue and recovery efforts.

The Colombian military has not yet released official casualty figures, but multiple sources indicate that a significant number of fatalities are expected given the size of the aircraft and the nature of the crash. An investigation into the cause of the accident is expected to begin once emergency response teams reach the site.