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The number of people killed in a bombing in a volatile region in southwest Colombia rose to 20, officials said Sunday.
The attack happened Saturday when an explosive device was detonated on a bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. So far, 15 women and five men are among the victims, according to Octavio Guzmán, governor of the region of Cauca.
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Relatives of victims pay respects at the site of an attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. Officials in Colombia say 15 women and five men were killed in the Cajibio blast, which also left 36 others injured. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
He wrote on X that the attack injured 36 others, three of whom are in intensive care. Guzmán noted that five of the injured are minors who are expected to recover.
Colombia’s Institute of Legal Medicine said that specialists including dentists, anthropologists and forensic doctors are identifying the victims.
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People observe the aftermath of the attack on the in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. Colombian officials blamed dissident FARC factions for the bus bombing that killed 20 people in the volatile Cauca region. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
The bombing is the latest attack in the region, with more than two dozen incidents reported in the past three days in southwestern Colombia. The region is home to illegal armed groups who vie for control of coca leaf cultivation areas and for sea and river access routes to run drug trafficking operations to Central America and Europe.
Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia’s Armed Forces, has described the incident as a “terrorist act.” He blamed it on the network of a man known as “Iván Mordisco” — one of Colombia’s most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
A man looks at vehicles damaged in the bombing in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
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The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the attacks against the civilian population and called on authorities to investigate the incidents and “guarantee justice for the victims.”
Guzmán declared three days of mourning on Sunday in memory of the victims.