At least six people are dead and over thirty are injured after a car bomb exploded in the Colombian port city of Buenaventura.This morning's blast occurred in the city’s downtown area near the local office of the attorney general. Images from the local press of the aftermath of the explosion (such as the one in this post) show charred taxis and motorcycles along with dozens of shattered storefronts.
According to BBC News Buenaventura has “seen battles between guerrilla groups, drug traffickers and paramilitaries for control of lucrative smuggling routes.”
Authorities have yet to place blame on today’s incident though Colombia’s army chief and Attorney General’s Office have implied that the FARC guerillas could be behind it. If their insinuations are accurate then it could endanger the planned freeing of two kidnap victims:
The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, plans to release two of the 24 police and soldiers it holds to Senator Piedad Cordoba and the Red Cross who will fly into the country's southern jungles in Brazilian helicopters...Image- El Tiempo
Pablo Emilio Moncayo, held for more than 12 years, and Josue Daniel Calvo, were to be freed a year ago, but the handover was delayed as rebels and President Alvaro Uribe's government squabbled over conditions for their release.
Online Sources- AP, El Espectador, Reuters, BBC News
I know now to stay away from gov offices in Buenaventura at least it was not near the market, where there is great ceviche
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