Toll in Colombia narco-terror attack wave rises to 20 dead, 36 hurt
Authorities blamed FARC dissidents as police and rescuers worked to reopen the Pan-American Highway and identify victims after the blast.
- On Saturday, an explosive device detonated at Cajibio along the Pan-American Highway, killing 19 civilians and injuring more than 20 on a passing bus. The death toll from the broader narco-terror wave reached 20 as of Sunday.
- Blamed on dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the bombing was among 31 attacks carried out over the weekend by suspected guerrillas responding to military operations in the Cauca department.
- Octavio Guzman, governor of Cauca, reported the dead include 15 women and five men, all adults, while three of the 36 injured remain hospitalized. He called the attack "the most brutal and ruthless attack against the civilian population in decades."
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro identified rebel leader Mordisco and suspect "Marlon" as responsible, calling the attackers "terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers" and urging South American financial authorities to crack down on illicit transactions.
- Authorities are working to reopen the highway, identify victims, and provide aid to families, vowing that "in the face of terrorism, we respond with greater institutional presence and comprehensive work.
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Saturday's attack balance worsened to 21 dead and 56 wounded. Minister of Defense promises military reinforcement in a region dominated by drug trafficking and guerrillas.
At least 31 guerrilla attacks were recorded during the weekend in Colombia, in the middle of the campaign for the presidential elections. One of them was the explosion of a bomb on a highway on Saturday that left dozens of dead, the worst attack on civilians in the last three decades. On Monday, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez told the Caracol radio that the number of fatal victims went up to 21, and another 56 people were injured.
Authorities have held FARC dissidents responsible for the most deadly attack on Saturday
The attack on Saturday in Colombia, the worst attack since the signing of a peace agreement with the FARC nearly a decade ago, left at least 20 dead, all civilians, in an area badly hit by armed violence...
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