The military vehicle, with 36 on board, veered out of control after the brakes failed late Sunday and fell into a chasm some 100 meters (328 feet) deep, the governor of Narino department, Luis Alfonso Escobar, told Blu Radio.

A video shared by the authorities showed rescue workers using ropes to try to reach the wounded at the bottom of a deep gorge.

Those with serious injuries were airlifted to hospital, and an army report said later on Monday 20 people were receiving "specialized care."

An initial toll had eight soldiers dead and 16 wounded.

The troops were on their way to Narino, a department on the border with Ecuador that is plagued by cocaine trafficking, to take part in security operations.

Escobar said the accident was not the result of an attack, in a country that has recently seen an uptick in violence as it battles to extricate itself from six decades of armed conflict.

Various armed groups vie for control of the region bordering Ecuador, which is strategic for cocaine production and trafficking.

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