A Colombian military helicopter crashed on Sunday afternoon killing four service members on board, President Gustavo Pedro said. A horrifying video that was shared on social media on Sunday captures the moment the helicopter carrying the four service members nosedived into the trees in the Quibdó area of Chocó.
The officials on board were working on supplies when the helicopter went down due to unknown reasons. The four service members were eventually identified by the country's commander. Petro later confirmed the shocking video of the crash on Twitter, telling his nearly seven million followers that he had authorized police to move into the area.
Dead in No Time
Vanguardia, a Colombian news outlet, reported that the Public Force helicopter crashed at around 4 pm as it was passing over the Quibdó area of Chocó. A shocking video has emerged that shows the helicopter flying over the densely populated neighborhood when it suddenly starts falling from the sky before nosediving onto the ground.
All four service members on board died on the spot.
"It is with sadness that I am sorry to report that there were no survivors in the plane crash in Quibdó," President Petro tweeted out.
The four service members were later identified by the country's commander.
"I accompany the families of the CT. Hector Jerez, TE. Julieth Garcia, SS. Johan Orozco and SS. Ruben Leguizamon in this painful moment. We will not leave them alone," he said in a translated tweet.
On Twitter, President Petro confirmed the horrifying video of the collision and informed his almost 7 million followers that he had given the go-ahead for police to enter the area. "A few minutes ago, an Army helicopter crashed in Quibdó while carrying out supply tasks," Petro wrote.
"I have given the order to the authorities to move immediately to the area to deal with the emergency and investigate the causes of what happened," he continued.
Less than an hour and a half later, President Petro informed the families of the deceased as well as the identities of those who had died in the crash.
Petro gave the go-ahead for the local authorities to carry out their investigations after the accident.
Unfortunate Incident
One video that was shared on social media on Sunday afternoon shows the helicopter falling from the skies as it spins. Another view of the horrific incident shows locals gasping in fear as the chopper plummets to the ground.
Hector Alfonso Candelario, commander of the Titán Joint Task Force, described the collision as a "tragic accident" to local media.
After impacting the ground, the plane was "totally incinerated," said Candelario. In the meantime, authorities searched for the other two Army personnel and discovered two dead right away.
Héctor Mauricio Jerez Ochoa, a National Army pilot from Bumangues, was one of the victims of the accident. Vanguardia first shared Ochoa's photo on Sunday afternoon.
A few hours later, Colombian publication Semana posted Julieth Garcia's photo. The source claims that Garcia was the first woman of her level and status to pilot a UH 1N helicopter in the Colombian National Army.
She was a Ccuta, Norte de Santande native who specialized in advanced fighting, skydiving, and communication.
At the moment, not much is known about Johan Orozco and Ruben Leguizamon.
"The relatives and friends of the members of the Colombian Army who were part of the supply work in the department," said Farlin Perea Rentera, the governor in charge of Chocó, in a message sent on Sunday.
She added that she is "supporting the pertinent investigations" into the Quibdó incident that occurred on Monday.
