A massive roadside explosion tore through a bus and several other vehicles on Colombia’s Pan-American Highway on Saturday, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than a dozen others. Authorities have labeled the attack an act of terrorism.
The blast struck the El Tunel sector in Cajibio, in the restive Cauca department, blowing a huge crater into one of the country’s most vital transport corridors and scattering wreckage across the road. Video footage from the scene showed a bus completely torn apart, its engine propelled with such force that it landed on another bus nearby. Multiple other vehicles traveling along the highway at the time were also severely damaged.
The explosion was attributed to a suspected remotely detonated device, though no group had publicly claimed responsibility at the time of reporting. The Cauca department has long been a flashpoint for violence involving armed groups, drug traffickers, and leftist guerrillas.
