An explosives-laden dump truck targeting a police substation in El Estrecho, southwest Cauca, was detonated before security forces could intercept it, resulting in one victim, six injured and damaging nearby homes and businesses.
POPAYÁN – An explosives-laden dump truck exploded Wednesday morning near a police substation in El Estrecho, municipality of Patía, in Colombia’s southwest department of Cauca. The most recent attack against civilians has renewed concerns over security along the country’s strategic Pan-American Highway.
The vehicle, a modified dump truck known locally as a volqueta, had reportedly been prepared to attack the police installation. According to local media reports, motorists travelling along the Pan-American Highway raised the alarm after noticing the suspicious vehicle. Security checks by members of the public forces subsequently enabled authorities to detect the truck before it could reach its intended target.
Realizing that the vehicle was about to be intercepted, the perpetrators reportedly detonated the explosives rather than allow the truck to be stopped. At least one person was killed, six injured in the attack, while the explosion also damaged nearby homes and commercial establishments. Emergency services are assessing the extent of the destruction as authorities work to establish if there are more casualties.
The latest bombing comes less than a month after another major attack on the Pan-American Highway, when an explosives-laden vehicle destroyed the El Bordo toll station in Patía on October 12. At least three civilians were injured in that explosion, which also damaged nearby homes and disrupted traffic along the important transport corridor. The Army attributed that attack preliminarily to the Carlos Patiño structure, a FARC dissident faction operating in the region.
The toll station bombing followed a deadly weekend of violence in Cauca. On October 10, an ELN drone attack against Army personnel in La Vega killed a professional soldier, while a sergeant died the following day during a confrontation between the military and dissidents of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) under the command of alias “Iván Mordisco”.
More recently, on October 21, residents of El Tambo discovered buried explosive cylinders along a road connecting the municipality with Popayán. On November 4, police explosives specialists also located three explosive-filled gas cylinders and four improvised explosive devices in the same municipality, following warnings from local communities.
The incidents illustrate the growing threat posed by improvised explosive devices, vehicle bombs and drone attacks across southwestern Colombia, where illegal armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla, are fighting for control of strategic drugs trafficking routes.
The Pan-American Highway is a vital transport artery connecting Cali, Popayán and Pasto, carrying commercial traffic, agricultural produce and passenger transport across southwestern Colombia. Attacks along the corridor threaten not only security installations but also civilian mobility, regional trade and access to essential services.
Authorities have yet to release a comprehensive account of Wednesday’s explosion or formally attribute responsibility for the attack.
