Baby among four killed in attack near Colombian military base

Four civilians were killed in an explosives attack near a military base in Planadas, southern Tolima, on Sunday 1 November, Colombian authorities said.

Tolima governor Adriana Magali Matiz said a two-month-old girl was among the dead. The regional government said two of those killed were children. Its preliminary assessment put the number of injured at 18 and said 177 homes were affected.

Three explosive devices detonated at about 9.45pm, the regional government said. Planadas mayor Juan Camilo Hueje told Caracol Radio that one struck the hospital’s pharmacy, causing a fire and forcing patients to be evacuated. A school was being used to treat the injured, according to the Associated Press. Three injured people were transferred to other centres for specialist care, the regional government said.

Accounts differ over the role of a lorry in the attack. The BBC reported that a lorry carrying explosives detonated, while Caracol Radio reported that explosive projectiles were launched from a lorry.

Authorities said two FARC dissident groups, Ismael Ruiz and Gerónimo Galeano, may have acted together. The FARC rebel movement signed a peace agreement with Colombia’s government in 2016. President Abelardo de la Espriella said after the attack that his government would continue bombing legitimate military targets and intensify special operations.