Death toll from Colombia car bombing rises to 9; proscutors see no clear culprit in attack

In Colombia, car bombing death toll reaches 9 dead

BOGOTA — The death toll from a car bombing has risen to nine in Colombia’s Pacific port of Buenaventura.

Local Red Cross director Carlos Ivan Marquez also said Thursday that 36 people were wounded by the blast near offices of the mayor and prosecutors. No one has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday bombing.

As Colombia’s only major Pacific port, Buenaventura is a key cocaine trafficking hub and is rife with rival criminal bands.

Miguel Angel Libreros, the city’s chief prosecutor, says the attack may have been a retaliatory strike against authorities by drug traffickers or could stem from a gold mining dispute. Colombia’s military chief earlier pointed to leftist rebels.