The incident occurred in southwest Colombia on Saturday, April 25
NEED TO KNOW
- On Saturday, April 25, an explosion on a bus in southwest Colombia left 14 people dead and at least 38 others injured, including five children
- The commander of Colombia's Armed Forces described the blast as a “terrorist act” that followed multiple other attacks targeting public infrastructure
- President of Colombia Gustavo Petro linked the incident to the drug trafficking network of “Iván Mordisco”
At least 14 people are dead and multiple others are injured after an explosive device was triggered on a bus in southwest Colombia.
Octavio Guzmán, the governor of southern Colombia's Cauca region, said in a post on X that the incident occurred during the early hours of Saturday, April 25. “Criminal structures detonated an explosive device on the Pan-American Highway,” resulting in a “seriously injured public service driver,” among many other victims, said Guzmán.
“These events are in response to retaliations by criminal structures against the forceful operational actions and the results achieved by our Public Force,” Guzmán wrote in an X post translated from Spanish. “This attack not only strikes the region but also constitutes a serious threat to the lives and peace of our communities.”
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Photos and videos from the scene show damaged and overturned vehicles scattered alongside the debris and dust on the road. Guzmán confirmed on X that the blast caused the death of 14 people, while at least 38 others were injured, including five children.
Following the incident, Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, said in a press conference that the explosion was the result of a “terrorist act” that followed multiple other recent attacks targeting public infrastructure — including a shooting at a police station in Jumandi and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, per The Washington Post and CNN.
"We are facing a terrorist escalation that demands immediate responses," said Guzmán, per CNN and Reuters. "We demand forceful, sustained and effective action from the national government in the face of the grave public order crisis we are experiencing."
While addressing the bus explosion in Cajibío on social media, Colombian President Gustavo Petro deemed those responsible “terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers.”
He alleged that the incident was connected to the drug trafficking network of “Iván Mordisco,” a top Colombian warlord and dissident of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
“I want the maximum worldwide pursuit against this narco-terrorist group,” Petro wrote on X. “I want the UIAF on top of their finances, I want the best soldiers to confront them, I want the Cauca people to free themselves from this mafia, detritus of violence. I want to sign the delayed accusation without reason, to denounce their bosses by name before the International Criminal Court.”
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