Video/ Explosion Near Police Station in Colombia Leaves One Dead and 11 Injured

An explosion near a police station in northeastern Colombia killed one person and injured 11 others, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred around midnight in Los Patios, a city near the border with Venezuela and part of the Cúcuta metropolitan area.

The explosive device is believed to have been placed in a vehicle left parked near the police station. Police officers are reportedly among those injured.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Esperanza condemned the attack, saying authorities would work to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Colombia will not surrender to terrorism,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

This is another similar attack in the Cúcuta area. In August, an explosion near a police station in the city injured 11 officers. Authorities blamed that incident on the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest rebel group.

The outskirts of Cúcuta have long been considered one of the main conflict zones for armed groups and drug-trafficking gangs seeking to take control of smuggling routes into Venezuela.

The peace agreement signed about a decade ago between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) led to a significant reduction in violence across many parts of the country.

Despite this, clashes have intensified again in some regions. Smaller armed groups are fighting among themselves and against government forces for control of territories previously administered by FARC.