At least 14 people were killed and 38 others injured, including five children, after a bomb ripped through a busy highway in southwestern Colombia, local authorities said.
Officials said the blast was part of a wider wave of attacks over the weekend, signalling a renewed surge in violence across the country.
Cauca Governor Octavio Guzmán said an explosive device was detonated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Túnel area of Cajibío in what he described as an indiscriminate attack on civilians, according to CNN.
He said Colombia Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the scene to coordinate rescue efforts, while authorities moved to convene a national security council in response to the incident.
Images circulating on social media showed a large crater in the road, with destroyed vehicles and debris scattered across the site.
“We are facing a terrorist escalation that demands immediate responses,” Guzmán said, urging national authorities to ensure security.
Authorities also reported violence in several other areas, including El Tambo, Caloto, Popayán, Guachené, Mercaderes and Miranda, in what military chief General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto described as a wave of attacks.
Colombia’s armed forces blamed the bombing on dissident factions of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), particularly groups linked to Iván Mordisco.
Although FARC signed a peace deal in 2016 that ended decades of conflict, some fighters rejected the agreement and continue insurgent activities in rural regions.
López Barreto said 26 attacks were recorded over two days in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, adding the violence reflects pressure on armed groups from government operations.
President Gustavo Petro called for global action against what he described as a narco-terrorist network and condemned the attackers.
The bombing came hours after Petro’s visit to Venezuela, where both countries agreed to step up joint efforts against cross-border criminal groups.
