A military helicopter transporting supplies to troops crashed in a rural area of northern Colombia on Monday, claiming the lives of all nine soldiers on board, according to the country’s armed forces.
The Colombian military stated that the helicopter was en route to the municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur, an area recently marked by clashes between the National Liberation Army guerrilla group and the Gulf Clan drug trafficking organization.
The military described the crash as an accident. Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed condolences for the loss of the nine passengers, emphasizing that they were supplying troops engaged in operations against the Gulf Clan.
The helicopter, an MI-17 Russian-built aircraft commonly used for troop transport and supply missions, went down at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time.
Among the victims were two officers, two sergeants, and three privates. Tragically, there were no survivors from the crash.
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