Car Bomb Kills 11, Hurts 100 in Colombian Capital

BOGOTA, Colombia â€”  A powerful car bomb exploded in an upscale shopping district of Bogota on Thursday, killing at least 11 people, injuring 100 and demolishing buildings and vehicles along a block-long stretch, officials said.

No one claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, citing intelligence reports, blamed fugitive drug lord Pablo Escobar.

“Once again Colombians in the city of Bogota are shaking before a new act of terrorism planned and executed, according to our intelligence reports, by the criminal organization of Pablo Escobar,� said a statement from Gaviria’s office.

Escobar, head of the Medellin drug cartel, is the object of an intense manhunt after his escape from a luxury prison last July. Police had blamed 10 car bombs earlier this year on him. More than 50 people were killed and 600 injured in those attacks, but no car bomb had exploded since March 5.

Thursday’s bomb jarred shoppers and workers within a three-block radius of two upscale shopping malls, the Centro 93 and the International Furniture Center, on the northern edge of the capital. The blast occurred about 2:35 p.m. when the area was filled with patrons of the district’s elegant boutiques, jewelry stores and banks.

Buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged on both sides of the block along the busy avenue where the bomb exploded. Glass and metal were strewn throughout the area, smoke filled the air and a sewer ruptured by the blast spewed a river of black waste water down side streets.

One woman wailed over the body of a 7-year-old girl. Authorities tried to coax the woman away, but she resisted. Finally, they brought a chair and allowed her to sit in vigil over the body.

Four people died at the scene, and seven others died later in hospitals, the assistant mayor of Bogota, German Arias, said in a statement read over the RCN radio network.

At least 100 people were being treated for injuries. Twenty, including several children, were said to have serious injuries.

Authorities said two suspects were captured about a mile from the scene. The suspects were not identified but were being interrogated by police.