Second bomb blast kills 6, injures 34 at police station in Colombia

[News_Editor]

Second bomb blast kills 6, injures 34 at police station in Colombia

2012-02-04 08:39:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) -- Six people were killed on early Thursday afternoon when a bomb exploded in front of a police station in western Colombia, the second similar attack in as many days, local authorities said on Friday.

The attack happened at around 12:45 p.m. local time when a cylinder bomb, which was planted inside a blue Mazda truck, detonated in front of a police station in the municipality of Villa Rica in the northern part of Colombia's Cauca department.

Villa Rica mayor Juan Guillermo Mina confirmed six people were killed in the attack, which local investigators blamed on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC. The group, along with paramilitary and drug trafficking groups, have a strong presence in the region.

Cauca Police commander Colonel Ricardo Alargón said Lieutenant Guido Cifuentes, commander of the police station, was killed at the scene. In addition, two civilians later died at a local hospital, while two others succumbed to their wounds at the Puerto Tejada hospital center. The sixth victim died at a clinic in Cali and was identified as a child, but his or her age was not immediately disclosed.

The bomb blast also injured another 34 people, among them 25 civilians and 9 police officers. Four of the injured were reported to be in a serious condition and were transferred to the Lili Valley Clinic in Cali. The others were taken to the Francisco de Paula Santander Hospital in Puerto Tejada.

Thursday's car bomb attack came just one day after a motorcyle strapped with explosives detonated in front of a police station in the Colombian municipality of Tumaco, which is located in Nariño Department. The blast, also believed to be carried out by FARC, killed nine people and injured 65 others.

FARC was formed in 1964 and is structured as a military organization, with approximately 10,000 armed guerillas organized into seven "blocs," 68 numbered "Fronts", nine named "Fronts," and four urban "militias." The group is present in 24 of the 32 departments of the South American country.

The rebel group is dedicated to the violent overthrow of Colombia's democratically-elected government.

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