PLANADAS, TOLIMA DEPARTMENT — A truck loaded with explosives detonated Sunday night near a military base in Planadas, in southern Tolima department, killing at least four people, including a two-month-old baby, and injuring more than a dozen others. Authorities have not said who carried out the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility.

The explosion hit the Los Mangos sector of Planadas on the night of November 1, near the military base. Tolima Governor Adriana Matiz gave a preliminary toll of four dead. One of the victims was a baby of two months.

Local reports put the number of injured at 17, mostly from shrapnel, though officials have described the injured only as “multiple.”

Forensic officials have yet to identify the dead.

Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje said the blast left streets covered in rubble and damaged several homes and part of the Hospital Centro de Planadas, where the pharmacy area was hit hardest. The hospital suspended several services and is operating only emergency and maternity care.

The injured were taken to a school in the area for initial treatment, and staff and ambulances from nearby Santiago Pérez and Ataco helped with transfers.

A curfew was declared in Planadas after the attack.

Hueje also said drones were seen flying over the town center. Local reports mention possible drone attacks at other points in Planadas, but it is not confirmed that they are linked to the explosion.

The Response

Matiz called the attack “a vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute firmness,” and said attacks on civilians and soldiers cross a line.

As of Monday morning, no statement from President Abelardo de la Espriella on the attack had been reported.

Authorities are investigating, and they have not said whether the military base was the intended target.

The attack comes amid a tough crackdown by the De la Espriella government on the country’s criminal element since August. The administration has pursued an offensive against guerrilla camps, including air strikes, while armed groups have continued explosive attacks and killings in several regions.

The president also ordered troop deployments to Cúcuta late last week. Governor Matiz described the current situation as the worst wave of violence in a decade.