Locals from a rural village in the southwest of Colombia have discovered landmines around the local health center, local media reported Tuesday.
The mines were planted sometime Monday night. They were discovered in the morning by the local populace who then notified the authorities.
“Several young people who were [around the health center] this morning reported that they discovered buried cables,” one community official told Semana magazine.
The Apollo Task Force of the national army, who has a presence in the area, moved in to secure the area and evacuate local residents and healthcare workers.
Colonel Olviero Perez told El Pais that the army was taking a “strategic approach” because “the area has a possible subversive presence,” referring to recent FARC activity in the area.
This is the second time the municipality of Inza has experienced a threat from antipersonnel mines in less than a month; On October 6 it was reported that FARC rebels allegedly mined the area around a school.
After evacuating the community, the army began searching for and clearing explosives from the area. The military expects to clear the area by Thursday.
Sources
- Alerta por posibles artefactos explosivos en zona rural de Inzá, Cauca (El Pais)
- Cauca: aislado puesto de salud en Inzá por presencia de explosivos (W Radio)
- Las FARC habrían minado una escuela en Inzá, Cauca (Semana)
- Centro de salud en Cauca fue evacuado por amenaza de explosivos (Pulzo)
- Otro campo minado afecta a población de Cauca (Semana)
- Mañana serían desactivados explosivos en puesto de salud de zona rural de Inzá (El Pais)