More than 400,000 KitKat bars have been stolen from a truck in Europe, Nestlé confirmed.

A lorry carrying some 12 tons of the popular chocolate-covered wafer snack set out this week from the company’s factory in Perugia, central Italy.

It was loaded with a total of 413,793 bars from the brand’s latest official Formula One range.

The bars were supposed to be distributed across Europe with the delivery ending in Poland, but it never reached its destination after the truck was hijacked by thieves.

Both the lorry and its sweet contents remain unaccounted for and it is as of yet unknown where the vehicle was intercepted.

It said it was investigating the incident with authorities and supply chain partners.

The Switzerland-based confectioner said in a statement: ‘We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KITKAT – but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.

‘Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.

‘With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend.’

While the bars could be sold through unofficial channels, they can be traced via their unique batch code.

Nestlé added that consumers, wholesalers and retailers would be able to check if they had purchased a stolen product.

Anyone who scans the number for a stolen batch of KitKats will be directed to instructions on how to contact the company.

It said that consumers should not attempt to track or locate the missing items, but hand any information to the company or local authorities.

It comes after a report from the International Union of Marine Insurance
(IUMI) and Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) found an alarming rise in cargo theft, with criminals turning to more sophisticated methods.

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It was supposed to be a joyful family reunion, but instead a British Columbia grandmother is stranded in China in a coma, her family unable to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring her home via air ambulance.

Her family says Lilia Avoutova, 78, who is of mixed Chinese and Ukrainian heritage, arrived in Kunming on March 4.

But she and her 79-year-old husband, Savout, both from Burnaby, B.C., never made it to Avoutova’s birthplace of Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China, after she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and stroke two days later.

Daughter Elena Lanteigne said her mother has been in an induced coma in a Kunming hospital since March 8.

“It was really tough, so the reunion never happened,” said a tearful Lanteigne, speaking from Kunming where she and her brother have been for about three weeks.

“It’s really tough to see your loved one in a hospital bed and intubated with all these instruments around them, and not knowing how they’re doing and if they’re going to survive and if they’re going to do well,” said Lanteigne, wiping away tears on a video call.

She said her mother had lived in China until she was about 10 when Avoutova’s father’s farm was confiscated by the government.

The family moved to Kazakhstan, where Avoutova married and had her children, before the family moved to Canada about 30 years ago.

Lanteigne said her mother had reconnected with her relatives in China in the past 10 years and was hoping to see them on what she expected to be her last visit to her hometown.

Communicating with doctors has been “extremely challenging” in China due to the language barriers, Lanteigne said, forcing them to rely on Google Translate to understand her mom’s conditions.

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She said her parents didn’t buy any travel medical insurance, and now the ICU in China costs about $1,000 per day, which has become a “heavy burden” for her.

Her retired parents live a “very frugal” life, and they are pretty much out of the money at this point, she said.

“My brother and I have had some savings, and we’ve been able to dip into those, but that’s also started to run out,” she added.

Lanteigne said it’s “extremely stressful” to think about finances, and they still need to figure out the big expense of bringing her mom home.

Lanteigne said they had got some quotes for getting a medical transport flight, which basically functions as an air ambulance equipped with a medical crew, so that they can bring her mom home right away, but the costs are about $400,000, which they can’t afford.

There is another option available — transporting her mom to Vancouver from Kunming by using stretcher service on a commercial airline, and the costs would be around $108,800.

But it’s riskier since Avoutova has a cerebral hemorrhage, and when the plane goes up to a high altitude, it can place pressure on the brain, making it “quite dangerous,” said Lanteigne.

Lanteigne said her mom’s family doctor suggested the best option right now is to wait at least a month or two, allowing the bleeding inside the body to reabsorb, which would make it safer for her to travel.

Lanteigne said she is clinging to the hope that her mom can leave the ICU soon and move to the rehabilitation unit, allowing them to prepare to take her home in the next couple of months.

She said her mom is one of those people who can make friends with anyone, and wherever she goes, people are naturally drawn to her.

“People want to talk to her, get to know her. She’s just extremely friendly,” said Lanteigne, adding that her grandchildren fondly called her babushka, meaning grandmother in Ukrainian.

When people would visit Avoutova at her home, she would serve tea and feed them.

“If she doesn’t have anything in her house, which is very rare, she will run to the store, and she will find something in her cupboards,” said Lanteigne.

Although the past three weeks have been tough, Lanteigne said they did have some promising news days ago — her mom briefly opened her eyes and was able to move her hand a little bit.

“Lately, I’ve been talking to her about people who’ve been reaching out, and just so that she knows that people are thinking about her. People are aware of who she is, and there are people who want to help,” said Lanteigne.

Avoutova is also a grandmother of four grandchildren, and Lanteigne said she has been playing audio and video recordings sent by her grandkids next to her bed, telling her that they can’t wait to see their beloved “babushka.”

Lanteigne said her mom showed her what kindness and compassion are, spending her life caring for others, and now she must find a way to bring her home, no matter how difficult the process would be.

The journey isn’t easy, but Lanteigne said she was touched by the overwhelming response she got from Canadians through an online fundraising page.

“My friend suggested it, and I was like, it seems really awkward, asking people for money, asking strangers for help.”

But the GoFundMe page has raised more than $16,000 as of Saturday, almost 70 per cent of the goal.

“I’m just blown away. I’m really shocked, so surprised by the sheer volume of the people who have come out to help,” said Lanteigne.

“And I really appreciate that. I think it’s just been incredible, and it just shows the incredible human spirit that people have for each other. That’s so heartwarming, I can’t even put it into words. It’s been amazing to see that.”

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have joined the conflict in the Middle East, launching a missile bound for Israel.

It marks the first time the country has involved itself in the war, which began one month ago today after the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.

Strikes have covered the region ever since, with Trump targeting Tehran while Iran launches strikes at US military bases.

Now, a military spokesman for the Houthis said they are prepared to join the war on behalf of Iran after the US and Israel targeted power and nuclear sites.

This is not the first time they have involved themselves in conflict in the region.

Two years ago the breakaway faction repeatedly launched drones and missiles against commercial vessels, claiming to be attacking Israeli ships in support of Palestine.

It accused the West of ‘blatant aggression’ and after airstrikes on Friday hit dozens of targets, vowing to respond with ‘punishment or retaliation’.

Britain has walked a tightrope over Yemen’s civil war for the last decade – keep reading to find out who’s involved and why some fear the situation could escalate into a full-blown war in the region.

Who are the Houthi rebels?

The Houthi movement is a political and military group that follows a minority strand of Islam called Zaydism, and draws its name from an ancient Arab tribe from northern Yemen called the Houthis.

Following rising instability in the wake of the Arab Spring, they seized control of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a in 2014, sparking one of the deadliest civil wars in recent history – which is still ongoing today.

Yemen’s official government, recognised by most countries including the UK, is backed by a Saudi-led coalition which Britain has supplied with weapons.

Both sides are widely believed to have carried out war crimes and atrocities against civilians, overseeing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in the world.

The Houthis are currently in control over almost all of northern Yemen, although much of the country has been devastated, with a death toll of over 150,000.

Have the Houthis been involved in conflict before?

Houthi forces launched dozens of drone and missile strikes on commercial vessels two years ago following the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

The faction’s goal was ‘prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arab and Red Seas in support of the oppressed Palestinian people’.

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In reality, though, almost all the targets were international trading ships – some making port in Israel, many simply passing through to other parts of the world.

One of the first incidents – when the Houthis hijacked what they claimed was an Israeli cargo ship in November – actually involved a British-owned ship run by a Japanese firm and staffed by crew from all around the world.

More recently, a Houthi spokesperson said any ship destined for Israel is a ‘legitimate target’. The UN’s shipping watchdog has since confirmed that the Houthis are continuing to attack ships with no links to Israel whatsoever.

Who supports the Houthis?

Yemen’s Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war broke out.

Iran’s theocratic government follows the Shia branch of Islam, of which the Houthi’s Zaydist belief system is a strand.

Iran has given the militants training and an array of sophisticated weapons and military technology, with the alleged help of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group.

The West has accused Iran of involvement in the Red Sea attacks two years ago and ordering the Houthis and other Middle Eastern militias to carry out their attacks on Israel, which Iran denies.

The UN Panel of Experts on Yemen previously found that Iran has ‘failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer’ of various ballistic missiles that the Houthis have deployed against all the vessels.

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A sprawling military training base in southern Alberta can expect to see more activity this summer, says the commander of the Canadian Army.

Lt-General Michael Wright told an audience at a defence trade show Thursday that Canadian Forces Base Suffield, the country’s largest training area, will be used increasingly as a testing hub for new technology and for increased training.

“Suffield is a training base that we have not used very much over the past 10 or 11 years, but in an agreement between Canada and the United Kingdom, we’re going to be starting to use it increasingly this summer,” said Wright at the Defence Aerospace and Security Exhibition of Western Canada, or DEFSEC West.

“It’s fantastic to see, but we’ve also got some investments we need to make into CFB Suffield, like so many of our bases across the country.”

Wright didn’t specify what kind of investments would be made but said it would not be to the point where thousands of troops would be training there, as was seen in the past.

The base, which is located in the southeast corner of Alberta, just north of Medicine Hat, is nearly 2,700-square-kilometres in size — more than three times the size of the city of Calgary — and its use dates back more than half a century.

In the early 1970s, the British Army signed a deal with Canada to send thousands of troops to the base east of Calgary for armour training and exercises, until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought everything to a halt.

When reports in 2021 suggested the British would pull out of Suffield entirely, the U.K.’s then-defence minister Ben Wallace hinted that armoured training would be “flexed” to other locations.

In 2023, the U.K. defence ministry announced it would start to wind down operations and training at Suffield.

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The U.K. government has since indicated it will spend £17 million (Cdn$31 million) on maintaining British Army Training Unit Suffield.

1:51
British troops take part in live-fire at Alberta military base

In January, the U.K.’s secretary of state for defence Al Carns said Suffield continues to be used for both training and experimentation activity.

Two British training missions were planned at Suffield for 2025-26.

In an interview, Wright said there could be more. “I won’t speak for the British Army, but they’re absolutely planning for increased use as well,” he said.

One more was slated for 2027, the U.K. government says.

The base is also still used by Canadian reserve units for training, with some of those soldiers joining the NATO mission in Latvia.

Each year, the Defence Research Development Canada branch hosts allied biological and chemical agent training.

Wright said the base needs to be used after a long period of inactivity.

“As the Canadian army builds and the Canadian Armed Forces builds, we’re going to need that ability to do larger-scale training across the country,” he said.

1:52
Canadian Forces exploring drone defenses at CFB Suffield

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Two people are dead and three more wounded after a missile attack in Abu Dhabi.

The victims were were killed by debris from a falling intercepted missile, the United Arab Emirates media office said.

Iranian attacks injured five people in the central Israeli city of Kafr Qasim and the West Bank.

The casualties pile more pressure on Donald Trump to find an end to the conflict in the Middle East, after the US President claimed the Iranian regime were too scared to admit they were negotiating with him.

Speaking during the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) annual fundraising dinner in Washington DC last night, Trump said Iranian officials were ‘afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people’.

He added that the the US are ‘decimating Iran’ and that the Mullahs are also ‘afraid they’ll be killed by us’.

Iran was lashed with heavy strikes overnight, with missile attacks reported in the city of Isfahan, which is home to a major Iranian air base.

The US has sent a 15-point plan to end the war to Iran, which reportedly include demands for a rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme and shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran dismissed the plan and called the American demands ‘excessive’ and ‘not positive’.

Iranian state media has said the country has its own five-point proposal for negotiations.

The regime’s defiance irked US President, who threatened to ‘unleash hell’ if Iran does not accept defeat.

It comes as more than 10,000 military targets in Iran have been struck since the war began last month, according to US Central Command.

Trump will also dispatch more than 1,000 extra troops from an airborne assault unit to the Middle East.

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While the war in Iran has sent gasoline prices soaring around the world, there are growing concerns about how the spike in the cost of other fuels could also affect consumers and the broader economy.

In Canada, the average price of diesel has surged to nearly $2.30 per litre — more than 50 per cent higher than just three months ago.

“It’s unprecedented. We’ve never seen anything like this in the oil market or the refined products market and it’s getting worse,” said Calgary-based petroleum industry analyst Richard Masson.

“The tankers that left four weeks ago just before the war started are just starting to unload at their destinations,” he continued.

“It takes three to four weeks to get where they’re going, but over the last four weeks there have been no tankers leaving out of the Strait of Hormuz.

“So over the next few weeks, places that need those fuels aren’t going to be getting them.”

Masson said the refined products market is experiencing prices like $200 a barrel for diesel fuel.

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“And more than that, countries like China have banned exports of refined products. So there are places like California, that depend on refined products coming from China because they’ve had many refineries shut down, who are now scrambling to find replacements for their diesel, for their gasoline.

“The whole global market right now is totally upset, and people are still trying to understand what it all means.”

Small business owners in Alberta are also waiting to see what happens, depending on how long the war drags on.

“Well, the price is going to affect freight and delivery, for sure,” said Ernie Tsu of the Alberta Hospitality Association, who is also owner of the Trolley 5 Brewpub in Calgary.

“We haven’t seen it come down yet from the major suppliers. I’m sure it’s going to,” said Tsu, who admits restaurant menu prices will need to increase if freight and delivery charges increase.

However, Tsu said a lot of restaurants are working with local farmers in an effort to keep transportation costs down and still provide excellent products and that helps “massively.”

Masson said if diesel prices get too high, it could cause the entire supply chain to break down.

“There’s two parts to that. One is the price gets higher for transportation because of the diesel cost and so that gets transmitted through to prices,” said Masson.

“The other is people just can’t get hold of the product physically and so they stop shipping things and so the supply chains start to break down.

“I’m seeing more and more talk about supply chains breaking down like happened during COVID.”

While the members of the International Energy Agency recently agreed to release hundreds of millions of oil from their strategic emergency reserves in an effort to combat a possible shortage of Middle East oil, Masson said it may not help prevent a shortage of diesel, because it’s not the right kind of oil.

“The Middle East produces kind of a medium-sour crude, and that crude goes into refineries and makes a larger proportion of diesel and a smaller proportion of gasoline.

“When that crude goes missing, it affects the diesel supply more and this is the challenge because not all crude oil is the same.”

While much of the oil produced in Canada is suitable for making diesel, Masson said most of the recent increase in U.S. production is lighter oil obtained through fracking, and is not suitable for making diesel.

“We have this real problem where not only is there a smaller supply of crude, but it’s not the right kinds of crude in the right refineries to keep production of things like diesel going at the rate we need — and of course, the economy depends on diesel,” said Masson.

“So we we have to find a way to adjust our consumption and the way we do that is by price. So the higher the price goes, more people will stop using it and only the best uses will happen.

“This is what’s going to happen over the coming weeks as this (crisis) deepens.”

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says Canadian national security agencies are looking into a B.C. company accused of financial ties to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

The RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service are “reviewing the situation and then they will have more to say,” the minister, who oversees the agencies, said on Wednesday.

Anandasangaree was responding to a Global News report that the U.S. government had sanctioned a Vancouver company over its alleged role in a $100-million Hezbollah financial network.

Seven Seas for International Trading and Logistics was formed in B.C. in 2022 by three directors, all based in Qatar. Corporate records obtained by Global News show it remains active.

It has not been sanctioned by Canada.

The B.C. government said it had reached out to the federal government about Seven Seas, since Ottawa is responsible for sanctions related to terrorist financing.

“Any next steps from the province would be informed by that engagement with our federal partners,” the B.C. Finance Ministry said in a statement.

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Neither the RCMP nor CSIS has yet responded to questions about the company. Global Affairs Canada has not responded to questions sent on Monday.

1:52
Israel intends to seize parts of Lebanon as strikes against Hezbollah intensify, government says

Hezbollah is a key part of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance, a collection of terrorist factions that serve Tehran’s interests through the Middle East.

Canada calls Hezbollah “a radical Shia group ideologically inspired by the Iranian revolution.” The Lebanese faction is involved in the U.S. and Israeli war that began on Feb. 28.

Canadian security agencies have long accused it of fundraising and money laundering in the country.

Asked why Canadians had only heard about the Vancouver company as a result of U.S. enforcement action, Anandasangaree repeated that more information would be coming.

“We often do not talk about matters that are under investigation, and as you’re aware, there are a range of things that our law enforcement do, including on national security matters, and this is one of those matters where they will have more say.”

The U.S. sanctions allege the B.C. company is part of a network led by “Hezbollah financier” Alaa Hamieh that spans Lebanon, Syria, Poland, Slovenia, Qatar and Canada.

Its founder, Raoof Fadel, “is involved in numerous projects with Alaa Hamieh and the Hizballah finance team,” according to the press release announcing the sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury statement said Seven Seas was “Hezbollah-associated” and was the “Canadian branch of Alaa Hamieh’s similarly named Lebanese companies.”

Reached by Global News on Wednesday, Fadel said from Qatar that he was consulting his lawyer prior to commenting.

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca

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Donald Trump has hinted at a mystery gift presented to him by an Iranian peace delegation as he threatens to send even more troops to the Middle East.

Around 3,000 troops from ‘The All American’, Fort Bragg-based brigade are said to be ready to be mobilised as the US President pushes Tehran to capitulate and end the war.

Asked if he trusts the Iranians, Trump said he doesn’t trust anybody but alluded to receiving a ‘gift’ that he said suggested ‘we’re dealing with the right people.’

‘They gave us a present, and the present arrived today,’ Trump said speaking at the White House on Tuesday.

‘It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. And I’m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize.’

Pressed for more detail, Trump said it was ‘oil- and gas-related’ but went no further.

‘It was a very nice thing they did. But what it showed me is that we’re dealing with the right people.’

Trump told reporters Iran wants ‘to make a deal,’ and he claimed his team held talks with an Iranian leader.

He did not say who that was, but said the US has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts are still unknown after a strike that killed his family triggered the war.

Since then, more than 2,000 people have been killed, the global economy has gone haywire, sending oil prices surging with missile strikes erupting all over the Middle East.

Iran has denied talks had been held. ‘No negotiations have been held with the US,’ Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted on X, adding that ‘fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets.”

Trump threatened over the weekend to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passed before the war, within 48 hours. 

Iran has insisted that ‘safe passage’ in the Strait of Hormuz is possible for non-enemies. Vessels with ties to China, India and Pakistan are among those that have already passed through.

Trump’s approval rating ​fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House in response to his handling of the Iran war.

Americans’ ​views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as ​gasoline prices surgedand his promise to ⁠avoid ‘stupid wars’. The survey found 35% of Americans approve of the US strikes on Iran.

Iran can only muster 10 missiles a day

Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said in a televised statement that Iran fired dozens of missiles on Israel in the war’s first and second days but this number ‘dropped quickly’.

He attributed that to Israel’s continued strikes on military headquarters, launch sites and missile production sites across Iran.

Although the volume of missiles has decreased, Iran has kept up and indeed increased the pace of its launches, sending millions of Israelis into shelters multiple times a day, with failed interceptions causing deaths and injuries.

Now, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says his country is ready to ‘facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks’ to end the Iran war.

‘Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,’ Sharif wrote on X.

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A newlywed Brit has drowned on his dream holiday to a coastal resort in Colombia.

James Winkles, who came from the Isle of Wight, was visiting the coastal resort with a group of friends, including his newlywed wife.

His body was found washed up on El Laguito Beach in Cartagena, Colombia, on Sunday morning.

James had been in the city, located on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, for 12 days, according to local media.

He was reportedly staying at a luxury hotel in the El Laguito area to celebrate his wedding with friends.

The 30-year-old went missing the night before after allegedly entering the water in adverse weather and sea conditions.

The emergency services arrived on the scene and confirmed he was dead.

His body was taken to a nearby morgue to establish the circumstances leading up to his suspected drowning.

The investigation into the British tourist’s death is ongoing.

James, who worked for a family-run car dealership in Ryde, was the second person to drown off the coast of El Laguito Beach so far this year.

On February 7, chef Samuel Peñates Cortina, 21, was swept away while swimming in the sea with his girlfriend.

His body was found three days later on a beach on the island of Tierra Bomba.

The authorities have urged swimmers to exercise caution when entering the water.

They said to avoid entering the sea if the wind is strong and waves exceed 1.9 metres in height, waiting a while after eating, and to avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed yesterday: ‘We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Colombia.’

Last August, a British man on holiday in Benidorm died after drowning in a late evening swim.

The 31-year-old was found lifeless after struggling to make it back to land, police confirmed.

He had jumped into the water at Benidorm’s Levante Beach with at least two other British friends, who returned unharmed.

Bystanders tried unsuccessfully to rescue the drowning tourist before the coastguard also failed to locate him in the water.

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A military transport plane with 128 people on board, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured, the head of Colombia’s armed forces said.

General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto said that four military personnel were still missing.

“Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died,” he said.

“At the moment, we have no information, or indications, that it was an attack by an illegal armed group,” Barreto added.

LAGUARDIA PLANE CRASH VIDEO SHOWS JET COLLIDE WITH FIRE TRUCK AFTER FRANTIC AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL WARNING

A Colombian military transport plane crashed near Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, shortly after takeoff March 23, 2026, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured. (MiPutumayo via AP)

In a video posted on social media, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said that the bodies of the victims were taken to the small town’s morgue, and that the only two clinics in town treated the injured before they were flown to larger cities. Puerto Leguizamo is located in Putumayo, an Amazonian province that borders Ecuador and Peru.

“I want to thank the people of Puerto Leguizamo who came out to help the victims of this accident,” Claros told Colombian television station RCN.

Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that the plane that crashed Monday was transporting troops to another city in Putumayo.

Images shared online by Colombian media outlets showed a black cloud of smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed and a truck with soldiers rushing to the site.

The airplane had 128 people on board, including 115 were from the Army, 11 crew members and 2 from the National Police. Baretto said 57 people were evacuated.

FEDS INVESTIGATE ALARMING NEAR MISS BETWEEN ALASKA AIRLINES JET, FEDEX PLANE AT BUSY NEWARK AIRPORT

Emergency crews and local residents rushed to help survivors after a deadly military plane crash in southern Colombia March 23, 2026. (Colombia’s Armed Forces press office via AP)

Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents, while another group of residents tried to put out the fire that the plane crash had created in a field surrounded by dense foliage.

Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of Colombia’s air force, said details of the crash were not yet known, “except that the plane had a problem and went down about two kilometers from the airport.”

The air force commander added that two planes, with 74 beds, were sent to the area to fly the injured back to hospitals in the capital, Bogota, and elsewhere.

Petro seized on the accident to promote what he called his longtime campaign to modernize planes and other equipment used by his country’s military, saying those efforts have been blocked by “bureaucratic difficulties” and suggesting that some officials should be held accountable.

“If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to the challenge, they must be removed,” Petro said.

COLOMBIA FACES SURGE OF REFUGEES FLEEING CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

Officials say a C-130 aircraft carrying mostly soldiers went down near Puerto Leguizamo March 23, 2026, with no signs of an attack by armed groups. (Colombia’s Armed Forces press office via AP)

Critics of the president pointed out that military aircraft have been given less flight hours under the Petro administration due to budget cuts, which leads to less experienced crews.

Erich Saumeth, a Colombian aviation expert and military analyst, said that the Hercules C-130 that crashed Monday had been donated by the United States to Colombia in 2020. Three years later, it went through a detailed revision known as an overhaul, in which its engines were inspected and key components were replaced.

“I don’t think this plane crashed because of a lack of good parts,” Saumeth said. He said that investigations will have to determine why the engines of the Hercules, which has four propellers, failed so quickly after take off.

In a message on X Monday, Defense Minister Sánchez said that so far there were no signs indicating that the plane was attacked by rebel groups that operate near Puerto Leguizamo.

Sánchez wrote that the accident was “profoundly painful for the country,” adding that: “We hope that our prayers can help to relieve some of the pain.”