Bogota:
A Colombian military aircraft crash has killed 12 people, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Friday, blaming the accident on mechanical problems.
"We regret the terrible plane accident... which has claimed the lives of 12 heroes of the Colombian airforce," Santos wrote in a Twitter message that also offered condolences to the families of those who died.
Santos said the military transport plane signaled that it was experiencing engine problems prior to the crash, which had no survivors.
The plane crashed in Las Palomas region, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Bogota.