The C-130 Hercules plane, acquired for Colombia's military in 2020, crashed to the ground Monday one kilometer from the runway it had taken off from in the Amazonian town of Puerto Leguizamo, near the border with Peru.

The aircraft was carrying 128 people as well as ammunition, according to the latest information, although the numbers are still being finalized.

The accident, which is still under investigation, left dozens injured, including residents who rushed in trying to rescue survivors and were subsequently wounded by exploding munitions in the wreckage.

Authorities also reported that one soldier is missing.

Left-wing President Gustavo Petro is blaming his predecessor Ivan Duque for having accepted a "junk" plane manufactured in the United States in 1983.

"Why did you buy such an old plane? Who advised you to do something so foolish?" Petro wrote on X, adding he had requested the replacement of the Hercules aircraft a year ago.

Duque called Petro "vile and unintelligent" and urged him to conduct "an investigation that includes the weight" the plane was carrying at takeoff and the condition of the small airport's runway. Duque maintains that it was in fact a donation -- not a purchase -- from Washington.

The Defense Ministry ruled out an attack by guerrilla groups operating in the territory, which is rife with coca crops.

Jhon Molina, governor of the Putumayo department where the crash occurred, told Blu Radio that the airport "has several problems" and "needs more investment."

The crash site can only be reached by plane or a five-hour boat journey from the departmental capital Puerto Asis.

The help provided by local residents during the rescue was key to preventing the death toll from being even higher, Molina said.

Images of people forming human chains to throw water and residents taking the injured away on motorcycles went viral on social media.

The bodies of the victims will be transferred to Bogota for forensic investigations, the National Institute of Legal Medicine said.