A bomb exploded in Quibdo, a city in the west of Colombia, on Tuesday, leaving three men and one women dead.
The attack, executed with an explosive device at a supermarket located in the centre of the city of Quibdo, is thought to be retaliation by a criminal group against the owners who refused to pay extortion money, Santa Fe Radio reported.
Two of the employees died at the scene — including the owner’s daughter — and another two employees died while receiving medical attention in a nearby San Francisco hospital.
The injured people were rushed to the same hospital, two of them in a serious condition, while the rest received care for minor injuries, Caracol Radio Reported.
The Chocó police commander Colonel Rafael Vanegas Olaya said that those responsible for the attack are still unknown, although the case is being treated as retaliation due to unpaid extortion money.
However, the owner of the Nabor Giraldo Aristizabal said that he had never informed the police of any extortion threats made against him.
Colonel Vanegas Olaya stated that a number of criminal groups operate in Quibdo, including the 34 and 57 Fronts of the FARC rebel group, and members of the criminal gang “Urabeños”.
Since the attack, the local authorities have installed checkpoints in a bid to prevent further attacks and capture those responsible.