Five people died and 26 others were injured Monday when a car bomb exploded in the south-western Colombian city of Cali, officials confirmed, according to DPA. Four people were killed on the spot, while another died later in hospital following the blast in front of the city's central court building, said Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia. The dead included three homeless people, a taxi driver and a female bystander. About 80 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast. Cali Mayor Jorge Ospina said a large part of the building's first floor and several adjoining buildings were destroyed by the impact of the explosion. Ospina declined to say whether the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was responsible for the attack, as claimed by some Colombian media. Colombian daily El Tiempo reported in its online edition that FARC recently circulated news saying attacks were to escalate in retaliation to increasing military operations and Operation Jaque, which in July led to the liberation of top FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt and 15 others.
