India, March 24 -- Colombia's defence ministry confirmed on Monday that a military aircraft carrying 110 soldiers crashed in the country's southern region near the border with Peru.

The aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130, went down while taking off from Puerto Leguizamo in the Amazon region, Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said, adding that the exact cause of the crash and the number of casualties are yet to be determined.

Officials said the plane was transporting troops when the accident occurred. The crash site is located around three kilometres from a nearby urban area, according to reports.

President Gustavo Petro expressed concern over the incident and hoped there were no fatalities, describing it as a tragic accident that ...