Roadside Explosion Kills Twenty in Colombia
Cauca Governor Octavio Guzman confirmed the toll on X, the social media platform owned by US entrepreneur Elon Musk, declaring three days of official mourning in the aftermath of the massacre.
"What happened yesterday, April 25, constitutes the most brutal and ruthless attack against the civilian population in decades in the department of Cauca," Guzman wrote.
The governor confirmed that 15 women and five men were killed, while 36 others sustained injuries. Of the wounded, three remain in intensive care, and five are minors who are no longer in critical condition.
The device had been concealed inside a culvert beneath the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio and was detonated remotely as a traditional wooden rural bus — locally known as a "chiva" — passed directly overhead. The force of the blast damaged multiple surrounding vehicles, and reports suggested a secondary explosive may have been hurled onto a bus before detonating, significantly amplifying the carnage.
The explosion carved a 200-cubic-meter crater into the roadway. Guzman said repair crews were working around the clock to restore the route. "The consortium is working continuously to restore the affected road," he said, projecting that traffic would resume within hours.
He added that authorities were mobilizing across multiple fronts — coordinating security measures, humanitarian relief, psychosocial support, and comprehensive assistance programs for survivors and victims' families. A symbolic tribute ceremony for the victims is also being organized in the coming days.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro directly attributed responsibility for the bombing to Ivan Mordisco, the commander of the EMC faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC) rebel organization.
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