The death toll of Saturday’s FARC bomb attack on several towns in the southwest of Colombia was raised to six, local media reported Sunday. Some 70 civilians were injured in the attack.
According to Caracol Radio, the bomb, hidden in a traditional Chiva bus, nearly wiped the village Toribio with 3,500 inhabitants off the map. The town looks inhabited by zombies as the terrified locals wade through the remains of their town in shock.
The attack let the town without running water, electricity and gas.
According to mayor Carlos Banguera it will be difficult to reconstruct the houses destroyed by the bomb that was set off on the local market square because of the almost complete destruction of the town center.
The attack on Toribio was carried out simultaneously with attacks on the nearby villages of Caldono, Jambaló, Corinto, Toribío, Mondomo and Siberia.
The region around Roribio, and the town itself in particular, is frequently a target for FARC attacks. According to local authorities, guerrillas are trying to get rid of the state forces in the region to re-open a corridor that allows the trafficking of drugs from the south of Colombia to the Pacific coast.
Armed forces commander Admiral Edgar Cely has been coordinating attempts by the armed forces to reinforce security in the region. According to the army official, the attacks are meant to distract army forces who are looking for Supreme FARC leader Alfonso Cano some 30 miles west of where the attacks took place.