Bomb Strapped to Horse Kills 8 Colombians

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

(9:06 PM ET)

The Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia
A bomb strapped to a horse exploded in a plaza in a small town in northeast Colombia on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, including a toddler, and injuring 20 others, the army said.

Authorities blamed rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for the attack. The rebels have tied bombs to animals, mainly donkeys and horses, in the past.

The residents of Chita, 150 miles northeast of Bogota, were preparing for the town's weekly market when the bomb exploded, army Sgt. Luis Hernandez said.

The army captured a suspect who allegedly led the horse into the plaza, Hernandez said.

The FARC and a smaller leftist rebel army have been waging war on the Colombian government for nearly 40 years. About 3,500 people, mainly civilians, die in the fighting each year.
(Source: Netscape Network News)
2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan