Roadside bomb kills at least 20 on Pan-American Highway in Cajibío, Colombia.
NEWS:
At least 20 people were killed and dozens more were injured when a powerful explosive device detonated among civilian vehicles on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibío, southwestern Colombia, on April 25, 2026.
The blast occurred in the El Túnel sector of Cauca department, approximately 22 miles north of Popayán. Buses, vans and other vehicles were traveling or stopped along the highway when the explosion ripped through the road.
Dashcam footage records the detonation. The video shows a sudden blast ahead of the recording vehicle, followed by a large cloud of dust and debris thrown across the highway. A person near the road begins running as fragments continue falling around the area.
The recording confirms the explosion and its immediate force. It does not show who planted or activated the device, establish the exact construction of the bomb or reveal the events that occurred before traffic became concentrated at the site.
Images recorded after the attack show destroyed passenger vehicles, overturned cars, broken windows, bodies covered at the scene and a large section of the highway torn apart. Ambulances, police officers, firefighters and civilians moved among the wreckage while the injured were evacuated.
The casualty count increased repeatedly as emergency crews recovered victims and hospitals treated the wounded. Cauca Governor Octavio Guzmán initially reported seven deaths before authorities raised the number to 14 later that day.
A departmental decree issued on April 26 referred to 19 civilians killed. Colombia’s National Institute of Legal Medicine subsequently reported receiving 20 bodies connected to the bombing. A National Police statement issued on April 30 also listed 20 dead and 38 injured.
Later government-based reporting placed the death toll at 21 and the number of injured at 56. Another subsequent account reported as many as 60 wounded. The variations reflect updates issued at different stages of the recovery and hospital response. At least five injured victims were children, and three patients were reported in intensive care.
Military officials said armed men blocked the highway with a bus and another vehicle, causing civilian traffic to accumulate near El Túnel. According to that account, the explosive device was detonated after a line of vehicles had formed.
The blast struck multiple civilian vehicles and left a large crater in the highway. The available video proves that the explosion tore through the traffic queue, but it does not independently establish who organized the roadblock or pressed the trigger.
Colombian authorities classified the bombing as a terrorist attack against civilians and attributed it to dissident factions that rejected the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as the FARC.
Officials specifically linked the violence to armed structures operating under Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known as Iván Mordisco. The Jaime Martínez Front, part of the Estado Mayor Central dissident organization, was identified by defense authorities as the structure responsible for the regional offensive.
The Estado Mayor Central later acknowledged its role in the Cajibío bombing through a message released after the attack. The group claimed the buried explosives had been intended for military vehicles and characterized the civilian deaths as an error that could not be justified or concealed.
That explanation does not alter the visible result of the detonation. The explosive was activated while civilian buses, vans and cars were concentrated on the highway, killing passengers and other road users.
The bombing was part of a wider series of violent incidents reported across Cauca and neighboring Valle del Cauca. Authorities recorded attacks or security emergencies in municipalities including El Tambo, Caloto, Jambaló, Guachené, Mercaderes, Miranda, Patía, Popayán, Timbío and Silvia.
A military installation in Cali had been attacked the previous day, while other incidents targeted police and public infrastructure. Military officials said more than two dozen attacks occurred across the two departments within approximately 48 hours.
The Cauca government declared three days of official mourning. Colombian and departmental flags were ordered flown at half-staff at government offices, public companies, schools and decentralized agencies.
President Gustavo Petro described those responsible as terrorists and drug traffickers and ordered security forces to intensify operations against Iván Mordisco’s organization. The government also announced rewards for information leading to several dissident commanders accused of directing the regional offensive.
On April 30, the National Police announced the arrest of a senior armed-group commander known as “David” or “Mi Pez” in a rural area of Palmira, Valle del Cauca.
Police described him as the head of the Dagoberto Ramos structure and identified him as the principal suspect responsible for the Cajibío bombing, allegedly acting in coordination with commanders known as “Marlon” and “Max.”
A 9mm pistol and seven cellphones were seized during the operation. Authorities said the phones would undergo forensic examination as part of the investigation into the bombing and the wider series of attacks.
The police accusation against the captured commander is not a judicial finding of guilt. No publicly accessible trial judgment or final court ruling located by June 9, 2026, established his individual role in planting, ordering or detonating the explosive device.
Authorities were still seeking other commanders accused of involvement in the regional attacks. Public information had not established the identities of all people who prepared the roadblock, handled the explosives or participated from surrounding areas.
The attack occurred just over a month before Colombia’s presidential election scheduled for May 31. Security forces increased their presence in Cauca and Valle del Cauca after the bombing and the other coordinated attacks.
News story written by DarkGore.
For more on this case:
If you want to know more about this case, just visit the following URL: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/25/explosion-in-southwest-colombia-kills-at-leat-seven-state-governor-says
