The work carried out to recover the bodies of the soldiers who died in a plane crash in the south of Bolívar has ended.
According to the latest reports on this event that mourns the National Army, and the country in general, the work that began early on Tuesday, April 30 to recover the bodies and carry out the corresponding process for their funeral honors has already been completed.
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Around noon the authorities confirmed that The bodies of the soldiers who died in a plane crash in the south of Bolívar were rescued.
In total, nine members of the military forces lost their lives after the helicopter in which they were traveling crashed.
The fatal victims of the plane crash were identified as:
- Lieutenant Colonel Jesús David Rangel Colonel.
- Major Edward Andrey Espinosa Rodríguez.
- Deputy First Sergeant Diego Bahamón Ramírez.
- Second Sergeant Michael Villanueva Mancera.
- First Corporal Cristian Ordoñez Caicedo.
- Third Corporal Jhon Arlen Olea Palmera.
- Professional soldier Sman Sanabria Guerrero.
- Professional soldier Jesús Montalvo Arroyo.
- Professional soldier Yeisson Mendoza Méndez.
According to the information known so far, the bodies are transferred to the headquarters of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Bucaramanga, where the corresponding processes in this type of case will be carried out.
Subsequently, It is expected that the bodies of the nine soldiers will be delivered for funeral services. The bodies will be transferred to their places of origin, so that relatives and friends can say goodbye to them. Thus, the funerals will take place in Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Tolima, Cauca, Antioquia, Norte de Santander, Caquetá and Córdoba.
From the National Army they sent a message of condolences for the death of the nine uniformed personnel of the institution.
Through the social networks of the military forces, They highlighted the work carried out by each of the victims of the accident air, and sent a message of condolences to the families of the uniformed men.
“Today, with deep pain, we mourn the death of the crew of MI17 EJC3395 and its occupants, in a plane accident that occurred in the municipality of Arenal, in the south of Bolívar. A C-SAR group of rescue teams moved to the scene of the events,” they wrote in X on the afternoon of Monday, April 29, 2024.
“In our memory will remain the memory of the crew made up of the pilot in command, Lieutenant Colonel Jesús Carvajal; the pilot, Major Edward Espinosa, Vice First Sergeant Diego Ramírez, Second Sergeant Michael Villanueva and First Corporal Cristian Ordóñez. As well as Third Corporal Jhon Arlen Olea Palmera and the professional soldiers Sman Sanabria Guerrero, Jesús Montalvo Arroyo and Yeisson Mendoza Méndez. Our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased soldiers,” they added.
In facts that are the subject of investigation, a National Army helicopter, of Russian origin, fell on the afternoon of Monday, April 29 when its occupants returned to the base of the Mars Task Force Troops of the Seventh Brigade, after carrying out resupply work.
The MI17 aircraft It fell in a rural area of the Arenal municipality, in the south of Bolívar. Due to the difficulty in accessing the terrain where the helicopter ended up, the rescue work began early on Tuesday, April 30, and ended around noon.
This accident reopened the debate about irregularities with the maintenance of helicopters of Russian origin operated by the National Army.
For several months now, complaints have been registered regarding the lack of maintenance of several aircraft that remain parked in the Tolemaida hangar; However, it is sought to establish whether the helicopter that crashed, along with five others that had the same fate, presented the same conditions.
