An apparently accidental grenade explosion Sunday at Tolemaida military base, south-west of Bogota, left 24 soldiers injured, some of whom remain in a serious condition, said Colombian armed forces commander Freddy Paddilla.
“Nothing is clear yet, but the most probable hypothesis is that it was an accident. There is a soldier who says he saw another soldier come out of the bathroom and he dropped the grenade,” Padilla told Colombian press.
The injured soldiers were rushed to a local hospital, with the more serious cases later moved to a Bogota military hospital.
Those injured belonged to the Fudra, a rapid deployment battalion, which specializes in jungle combat against guerrilla forces.
Bomb disposal experts and investigators will work to ascertain the cause of the explosion.