A Colombian military helicopter crashed on the border with Panama and four people lost their lives

A Helicopter of the Colombian National Army collapsed this Monday on the way to an air base on the border with Panama and caused the death of four people, while three others were injured. The moments before the accident were recorded in a video that quickly went viral on social networks.

suffered an accident“while “it was carrying out an internal loading operation by air at the binational military base of Cuti”, located in the Colombian municipality of Unguía (northwest), about 15 kilometers from Panama.

As specified by the Colombian Army in an official statement, the four victims were Major Karol Felipe García, who was piloting the plane; Captain Darío Bernal Toloza, member of the 46th Voltígeros Infantry Battalion; Lieutenant John Barbosa Cruz, pilot; and Sergeant Javier Reino, crew chief.

“For their part, the injured personnel, First Vice Sergeant Jhonatan del Río, flight engineer; First Corporal Alejandro Gutiérrez Trejos and professional soldier Galindo Suárez Prada were evacuated to a specialized medical center in the municipality of Apartadó, Antioquia,” the official report adds, without however confirming the state of health of any of them.

For his part, General Luis Ospina, commander of the Colombian army, wrote on the X social network: “Brave soldiers who unfortunately lost their lives in a plane crash.”

Although the Army The causes of the accident have not been determined.a commission of experts goes to the site of the accident “to ascertain the circumstances of time, manner and place”, reads the statement.

The area where the helicopter crashed a stronghold of the Gulf clanthe main drug trafficking organization in Colombia, which also controls land passage to Panama through the dangerous Darién Gap jungle, according to Colombian authorities.

Previously, the Army had reported that it had contacted Panamanian authorities “to carry out checks in the area”.