Number of injured in car bomb explosion in Colombia rises to 16

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – At least 16 people were injured in the explosion of a car bomb in front of the City Hall of the municipality of Corinto, located in the troubled department of Cauca in southwestern Colombia, local officials told Agencia Efe.

“At the moment we have 11 injured officials, three of whom have been sent to Cali (capital of the neighboring department of Valle del Cauca) because of their severity, and we have five people from the community also injured,” Leonardo Rivera, Corinto’s secretary of government, told Efe.

Rivera said by telephone that unidentified people placed a vehicle loaded with explosives in front of the mayor’s office and detonation took place. The explosion occurred around 4 p.m. (local time), and the number of people affected is still preliminary. Emergency efforts are still underway.

In response to the situation, Defense Minister Alfredo Molano traveled to Popayan, the departmental capital of Cauca, to lead a security council.

“We will keep fighting against crime. Criminal drug traffickers will not continue to sow terror among the population. I have instructed the police and military forces not to rest until those responsible are found,” the high-ranking official said on Twitter.

Members of the army and police arrived in the area of the explosion to deal with the situation. Videos posted on social networks show serious damage after the attack, with broken glass and debris on the ground.

For his part, Colombian President Iván Duque condemned the attack and declared that “terrorism is the coward’s weapon.” He ordered the military leadership and the Minister of Defense to go after the culprits immediately.

Criminal groups are vying in various regions of Cauca for illicit coca and marijuana crops, as well as illegal mining, in an area that is also a key corridor for the movement of irregular goods.

Source: EFE