Car bomb kills at least 4 in volatile Colombian port

Car bomb kills 4 in Colombian port

BOGOTA — A car bomb exploded in the administrative center of Colombia’s Pacific port of Buenaventura on Wednesday, killing four people and wounding at least 20, authorities said.

Buenaventura is a key cocaine trafficking center that is rife with rival criminal bands from the right and left.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but armed forces chief Gen. Freddy Padilla said he suspected Colombia’s main leftist rebel group.

The Valle del Cauca province’s chief prosecutor, Jose de la Pava, told The Associated Press that at least four people were killed when the bomb exploded near the mayor’s office and an office where prosecutors receive citizen complaints.

The province’s chief security official, Victor Manuel Salcedo, said at least 20 were wounded, some very seriously.

Outgoing President Alvaro Uribe has put the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on the defensive since taking office in 2002.

But the group known as the FARC remains capable of damaging attacks and in recent months it has stepped up raids on military posts in Valle del Cauca in particular. Authorities say it is involved in the cocaine and marijuana trade in the region.

Wednesday’s car-bombing was the most serious in Colombia since a September 2008 blast killed four people in front of the palace of justice in Cali, capital of Valle de Cauca province.