Guerrilla landmines killed at least two electricity workers trying to repair sabotaged pylons in Colombia’s southwestern Nariño department on Wednesday.
The workers were attempting to restore electricity to the area which has been five days without power following Friday’s FARC rebel attack which destroyed the electricity pylons and left a soldier and a 17-year-old boy dead.
The army and the power company had been working together to restore electricity as the guerrillas had planted mines around the fallen pylons to hamper the repair effort.
Officials of Nariño’s power company, Cedenar, said that work to repair the pylons would cease until workers’ safety could be guaranteed leaving over 150,000 residents without electricity or running water.
Miniing and Energy Minister Mauricio Cardenas, condemned the attacks on energy infrastructure saying they violate International Humanitarian Law.
“I express anger, rejection and condemn the criminals In the face of what the terrorist groups in Nariño have done,” wrote the minister on Twitter.
Update (Wednesday 2:00PM)
Local media report that the number of killed electricty workers has been raised to three.