Bomb attack on Colombia highway kills 19 ahead of election

A road weaponry onslaught successful southwestern Colombia has killed 19 radical and injured astatine slightest 38, the latest spate of unit up of adjacent month’s statesmanlike election.

Buses and vans were near mangled successful the blast Saturday connected the Pan-American Highway, successful the restive southwestern Cauca department.

Several cars were flipped implicit by the unit of the detonation and a ample crater was blown retired of the roadway.

The department’s politician connected Saturday evening provided a decease toll of 14, with much than 38 injured, but the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said Sunday greeting it had begun the introspection of 19 bodies.

Military main Hugo Lopez told a quality league connected Saturday that the weaponry had exploded aft assailants stopped postulation by blocking the roadworthy with a autobus and different vehicle.

The onslaught comes conscionable implicit 1 period up of nationalist elections, successful which voters volition prime a successor to President Gustavo Petro.

Petro blamed the bombing connected Ivan Mordisco, the South American country’s most-wanted criminal, whom the president has compared to precocious cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.

The unit came aft a weaponry onslaught connected Friday connected a subject basal successful Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, injured 2 radical and acceptable disconnected a drawstring of attacks successful the Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments.

According to Lopez, 26 attacks person been recorded successful the 2 departments implicit the past 2 days.

Authorities person boosted subject and constabulary beingness successful the areas, Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Security is 1 of the cardinal issues of the May 31 statesmanlike election. Political unit was brought into crisp absorption past June, erstwhile young blimpish statesmanlike frontrunner Miguel Uribe Turbay was changeable successful wide daylight portion campaigning successful the superior Bogota and aboriginal died from his wounds.

Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, an designer of Petro’s arguable argumentation of negotiating with equipped groups, is up successful polls.

He is trailed by right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, some of whom person pledged to instrumentality a hard enactment against rebel groups.

All 3 person reported receiving decease threats and are campaigning nether dense security.