Death Toll Rises to 33 in Colombia's Car-bomb Explosion

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, February 09, 2003 english.peopledaily.com.cn

The death toll of Friday's car-bomb explosion in El Nogal night club in northern Bogota has risen to 33 and 162 others were injured, official sources said Saturday. The death toll of Friday's car-bomb explosion in El Nogal night club in northern Bogota has risen to 33 and 162 others were injured, official sources said Saturday. A car-bomb, loaded with about 200 kilograms of dynamite, Fridayevening ripped through the third floor of a 12-story building, where the El Nogal night club was located. Vice President of Colombia Francisco Santos attributed the attack to the 17,000-strong rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The government has asked Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Brazil to list FARC as a terrorist organization, and requested thegovernments of these countries to help stop its subversive activities. In spite of the material damage to the building of the night club, a 12-year-old girl, Maria Garcia, was found alive on Saturday morning covered by the debris, said Colombia's Attorney General Luis Osorio. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the governments of the United States and French condemned the bombing as a "terrorist attack." The UN chief's spokesman said Annan "strongly condemns this cruel bombing and all other terrorist attacks by any actor in the conflict." US President George W. Bush released a statement in Washington,condemning the attack as "barbaric act of terrorism," and said theUnited States "will offer all appropriate assistance to the Colombian government in bringing to justice the murderers responsible for this act."