A military helicopter has crashed in a jungle, killing all nine servicemen on board.
The Mil Mi-17 chopper was on a supply mission when it plunged from the skies yesterday (29 April).
Nine members of the National Army of Colombia lost their lives while supplying troops fighting the paramilitary cartel the Gulf Clan.
The chopper crashed in Santa Rosa del Sur, north of Bogota, Colombia.
Military officials lost communication with the pilot at around 1pm.
Moments before, the pilot reportedly asked to return to base due to the torrential weather conditions.
When the helicopter failed to return, officials launched a search operation.
Local farmers were the first to arrive at the accident scene.
Footage shows workers arriving at the flaming wreckage while finding the victims’ personal belongings on the ground in the immediate area.
The victims have been named as Lieutenant Colonel Jesús David Carvajal Rangel, Major Edward Espinosa Rodríguez, First Vice Sergeant Diego Ramírez Bahamón and Second Sergeant Michael Villanueva Mancera.
The others were First Corporal Cristian Ordóñez Caicedo, Third Corporal Jhon Arlen Olea Palmera, and soldiers Sman Sanabria Guerrero, Jesús Montalvo Arroyo and Yeisson Mendoza Méndez.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro paid tribute to the servicemen after hearing about the fatal crash, as reported by Need to Know.
He said: “I regret the deaths of the nine members of the army helicopter flight that crashed to the ground while supplying troops to the south of Bolívar in operations against the Gulf Clan.”
As heavy rains prevented an aircraft from landing in the area yesterday, the victims’ bodies are expected to be removed from the accident site today (30 April).
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
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