According to the news agency, authorities said that the plane that crashed was carrying 114 military personnel, while 11 crew members were also on board.

The commander of the Colombian Air Force, Carlos Fernando Silva Rueda, said that the American-made C-130 Hercules plane, which is used to transport military personnel, crashed near the town of Puerto Leguizamo in the Putumayo province.

Emergency rescue teams were dispatched to the scene immediately after the crash, where they are busy searching for survivors in the wreckage. Authorities say that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the incident and said that a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 transport plane carrying security forces personnel crashed while flying from Puerto Leguizamo.

He said the incident, which occurred near the Peruvian border, was "very sad for the country."

A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers, six air force personnel and two police officers were among the dead, while other sources put the total death toll at 66.

It is considered one of the deadliest accidents in the recent history of the Colombian air force.