AT LEAST 18 people have died after a drone attack on a police helicopter and a car bomb in Colombia.
A vehicle filled with explosives blew up near a military aviation school earlier, killing five people and injuring more than 30, cops confirmed.
ReutersSecurity forces work next to the debris following the explosion[/caption]
APForensics inspect the site of the bomb explosion outside an Air Force base in Cali, Colombia[/caption]
cablenoticiasPlumes of black smoke billow in the air following the blast[/caption]
cablenoticiasDebris is seen strewn across the ground in then northern region[/caption]
Meanwhile, authorities said at least 12 died in a drone attack on a helicopter carrying personnel to an area in Antioquia in northern Colombia.
Antioquia governor Andres Julian said a drone struck the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf crops.
One local, who was there at the time of the attack, said they heard a “thunderous” sound of something exploding near the airbase.
Terrifying footage shows vehicles charred from the crash as debris appears strewn across the ground.
Meanwhile, thick plumes of black smoke billow in a forested area in the country’s north.
Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to the explosion as a “terrorist attack” and blamed the “the narco cartel alias Mordisco”.
Posting online he wrote: “This cowardly attack against civilians is a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño, where the Public Force has neutralized much of this threat.”
The attacks have been linked to different dissident factions of the now non-existent Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) group.
Following the horrific assaults, the president and and the military leadership announced they would lead a security council meeting to “define additional protection measures” for residents.
cablenoticiasCars appear devastated in the wreckage[/caption]
cablenoticiasVehicles were wrecked in the attacks[/caption]
ReutersA soldier patrols the perimeter of a scene following the explosion of a cargo vehicle[/caption]