The number of people killed in a bombing in a volatile region of southwestern Colombia has risen to 20, officials said on Sunday.
The attack took place on Saturday when an explosive device was detonated on a bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Fifteen women and five men are among the victims so far, according to Octavio Guzmán, governor of the Cauca region.
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Relatives of the victims pay their respects at the scene 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 explosion in Cajibio, which also injured 36 others. (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.
The Colombian Institute of Legal Medicine said 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 20 incidents reported in southwestern Colombia in the past three days. The region is home to illegal armed groups fighting for control of coca leaf growing areas and access to the sea and rivers to conduct drug smuggling operations into Central America and Europe.
General Hugo López, commander of the Colombian armed forces, has described the incident as a “terrorist act”. He blamed the network of a man known as ‘Iván Mordisco’ – one of Colombia’s most wanted figures – and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents from the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia operating in the region.
A man looks at vehicles damaged during the bombing in Cajibio, Colombia, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the attacks on the civilian population and called on authorities to investigate the incidents and “guarantee justice for the victims.”
Guzmán announced three days of mourning on Sunday in memory of the victims.
