At least nine people were killed and several others injured on Friday after an illegal cocaine laboratory exploded in the southwest of Colombia, authorities said.
The blast occurred in the Narino department, a remote area along Colombia’s Pacific coast known for cocaine production and the presence of armed groups.
Police and local officials say eight others were wounded in the explosion, which erupted at a makeshift facility where drugs were being processed.
According to preliminary investigations, a gas cylinder being used in the production process exploded, triggering a powerful blast that engulfed the lab.
Authorities cited human error in handling the gas equipment as a likely cause of the fire and explosion.
Many of the victims were reportedly linked to the National Coordinator Bolivarian Army (ECB), a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla movement that rejected Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement and continues to engage in drug trafficking and armed conflict.
The Narino region has long been a key corridor for cocaine shipments headed toward markets in the United States and Europe, with criminal groups and foreign cartels vying for control of production and trafficking routes.
Officials are continuing investigations into the blast and its impact on the community, and are working to provide medical care to those injured in the incident.
