7 die in blast at Colombian shopping mall
BOGOTA - A bomb ripped through an underground carpark at a shopping mall in Cucuta, near Colombia's north-eastern border with Venezuela, killing at least seven people and injuring 68 others.
The blast on Wednesday ignited cars parked nearby and triggered an avalanche of concrete as shoppers tried to flee. Advertisement
It was the first major bomb attack since December in the city, which has been gripped by guerilla warfare for decades.
'We heard a very strong explosion and then flames burst out. Then there was a fire and some parts of the building caved in,' said one survivor.
Police blamed the leftist National Liberation Army but offered no evidence.
The Cuban-inspired group, known by its Spanish initials ELN, is one of several outlawed armies involved in Colombia's drug-fuelled guerilla conflict.
Police Colonel Oscar Gambo said the blast was caused by 'a small bomb placed on top of a vehicle's petrol tank, which spread the fire to other cars'.
Cucuta mayor Manuel Guillermo Mora said seven bodies had been found and 68 people were injured.
More bodies are expected to be found under the rubble.
The guerillas have been moving their attacks steadily to urban centres over the past several years. -- Reuters