At least nine dead in violent incidents in Colombia

MADRID, 31 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

At least nine prisoners have died in two attacks by armed individuals perpetrated in recent hours in Colombia, according to the authorities.

Five people died at dawn this Sunday in an attack by armed individuals against a house in the municipality of La Unión, in the department of Valle del Cauca.

"We have confirmed that some subjects murdered five people who were chatting in a house and we are verifying the status of five more people who were injured. We are already carrying out the investigation with the departmental authorities, between today and tomorrow we will have an extraordinary security council," explained the mayor of La Unión, William Palomino, in statements to the public broadcaster RNC.

The authorities are already investigating the motives and the authors of the massacre. The injured people are being treated at the La Unión hospital.

On the other hand, four people have died and two more have been injured in Barbacoas, Nariño state, when subjects with long-range weapons fired at several people who were in a pool hall.

The mayor of Barbacoas, Adam Rincón, has reported that a Security Council has been convened to adopt measures after this violent event. "With the presence of the police, army, navy and the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) to clarify the facts, we are confirming the identities and apparently the deceased are members of the Awá community," Rincón pointed out.

The Secretary of Government of Nariño, Amilcar Pantoja, has affirmed that "these events reflect the urgent need that the department of Nariño has for total peace and the commitment of this new government to find a concerted and negotiated solution in the face of these difficulties".

Pantoja has highlighted the situation of violence that the territory is experiencing, with massive displacements, threats and now these new murders.