Explosive Device on Colombia's Pan-American Highway Kills 14 and Injures 38, Including Children

An explosive device detonated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Túnel sector of Cajibío, Cauca region, southwestern Colombia, on April 25, 2026, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 38 others, including five children. The blast tore apart a busy road, affecting vehicles such as cars, trucks, and buses, with videos on social media showing a deep crater in the center of the road and mangled vehicles covered in dust and debris.

The explosion struck a passenger bus traveling along the highway, and images from the scene showed the bus torn apart as bystanders searched for survivors.

Local authorities reported the casualties and stated that Colombia’s Minister of Defense was at the scene to coordinate rescue efforts. Authorities initiated a national-level security council to address the situation. The highway bombing was part of 26 terrorist actions that occurred in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca over two days, according to General Commander of Military Forces of Colombia Hugo Alejandro López Barreto.

López Barreto stated that the series of attacks is a response to sustained pressure by the Colombian government on the groups’ criminal operations. He blamed the bombing on dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) led by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known as Iván Mordisco.

Petro called for the maximum worldwide pursuit against this narco-terrorist group linked to Iván Mordisco.

The attack occurred hours after Petro visited Venezuela alongside Colombia’s top military brass on April 25, 2026, where Colombia and Venezuela agreed to jointly combat criminal groups along their shared border stretching more than 1,370 miles, as announced by Petro and Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

Other recent incidents included security forces intercepting three explosive-laden drones targeting a civil aviation radar site in El Tambo on April 25, 2026. A police station in Jamundí came under gunfire on April 25, 2026, with no injuries reported.

Two car bombs detonated near military facilities in Cali and Palmira on April 24, 2026, damaging buildings but causing no casualties. Authorities offered more than $1 million for information leading to the capture of a suspect within the dissident network.

Local authorities offered rewards for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira on April 24, 2026.

A delegation including Minister of Defence, regional governors, and local authorities met in Palmira on April 25, 2026, when the explosion occurred. FARC laid down its arms in 2016 and disbanded after a peace agreement that ended over 50 years of war with the Colombian government. The FARC conflict killed over 220,000 people and displaced some 5 million Colombians.

Some FARC members refused the peace process and continued a low-level insurgency in rural parts of Colombia. Cauca and Valle del Cauca are key battlegrounds for criminal groups vying for control of drug trafficking routes to the port of Buenaventura.