/ 16 November 2003

Blasts injure 25 in Colombia

At least 25 people were wounded in two explosions in an exclusive neighborhood of the Colombian capital late on Saturday, security and health officials said.

The explosions occurred seconds apart, just after 10.20pm (3.20am GMT Sunday), at a time when the area was crowded with restaurant- and bar-goers.

An official with city health services confirmed that at least 25 people had been wounded in the double blast.

Some of the victims were seriously wounded, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

The two explosive devices had been planted in front of neighbouring pubs in the Zona Rosa neighborhood.

Three of the wounded were United States citizens, a secret police source said. Staff of the US embassy arrived at the scene but did not comment.

The source, who requested anonymity, said a guard in the vicinity had captured a person who planted one of the explosive devices.

The scene was chaotic as emergency personnel rushed the wounded to medical centres in Bogota, which have treated victims of numerous bomb blasts in the last two years.

On October 8, a car bomb exploded in the south of the capital, killing six and injuring 21.

On February 7, a car bomb attack at an elegant club in the city killed 36 and injured 170. The attack was blamed on the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), though the rebel group denied responsibility.

Authorities say they have seized tonnes of explosives and detained dozens of Farc guerrillas in recent months in Bogota.

Several explosions rocked the capital in 2002, including one on August 7, during President Alvaro Uribe’s inauguration. That blast killed 21, wounded 70 and damaged a wing of the Palace of Government. — Sapa-AFP