Tragedy in Colombia: the moment when an Army helicopter falls and causes the death of four soldiers

The accident occurred in Quibdó, in the west of the country. The aircraft was carrying out supply tasks in the area. President Gustavo Petro confirmed that there were no survivors.

An air tragedy mourned Colombia this Sunday. An Army helicopter crashed mid-flight, claiming the lives of four soldiers who were on board. The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, assured that there were no survivors in the accident registered in Quibdó, in the west of the country.

The president sent a message of condolences to the families and regretted the death of the military Héctor Jerez Ochoa, pilot in command; Julieth Garcia Cordero, pilot; Johan Orozco Neira, crew chief; and Rubén Leguizamón Perilla, flight technician. “We will not leave you alone,” Petro said in a Twitter message.

The president ordered the authorities to travel to Quibdó, the capital of the Chocó department, to attend to and investigate the causes of the emergency.

For his part, Colonel Héctor Candelario, commander of the Titan task force, specified that the soldiers were going to “bring food” to other soldiers “who carry out missions in the upper and lower Baudó”, where illegal armed groups have a strong presence. The helicopter was “totally incinerated,” the officer added.

Candelario also said that some local residents claimed that “two of the soldiers jumped out of the aircraft before it crashed to the ground.” Videos released on social networks show the moment the helicopter circled before collapsing in the rural area of ​​Quibdó.

The Army, which extended a message of solidarity to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and announced that it will give them support and accompaniment, detailed in a statement that it was the Bell UH-1N aircraft, a medium-sized multifunctional military helicopter. .

This type of aircraft has been used in Colombia for decades in counterinsurgency operations, aerial surveillance, rescue, evacuations, supplies, and fires.

Who were the soldiers killed by the helicopter crash?

Captain Jerez Ochoa, 32, was the pilot of the UH-1N with 13 years of service and had specialized training in the United States for this type of aircraft. He was from the Air Force, a rotary wing pilot, a professional in Military Sciences, a logistics administrator and a specialist in Military Sciences for Planning.

For her part, Lieutenant García Cordero, 31, became in 2020 the first woman in the Colombian army to pilot a UH-1N. Originally from Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, she had risen to the rank of second lieutenant in 2015.

The victims of the helicopter accident in Colombia were soldiers between the ages of 31 and 35. Colombian Army Photo

Sergeant Orozco Neira, meanwhile, was 31 years old and was from Barranquilla. He was married and had two children. He had entered the NCO Military School in March 2008 and was promoted to the rank of third corporal in September 2009.

Lastly, Second Sergeant Leguizamón Perilla entered the Military School for NCOs in 2009. A 35-year-old native of Bogotá, he was married and had a four-year-old son.

With agency information.

ES