9 Dead in Explosion Inside Cocaine Laboratory in Colombia

SadaNews - Nine people were killed and eight others sustained severe burns in Colombia late last night after an explosion occurred in a secret cocaine production laboratory near the border with Ecuador, according to local authorities.

The incident was caused by a gas cylinder explosion during the drug production process, according to preliminary investigations.

The laboratory is located on the lands of the Awá indigenous people in Nariño province in southwestern Colombia, an area that is considered one of the main centers for cocaine production and witnesses widespread presence of armed rebel groups.

Colonel John Jairo Uria of the police said in a video that "the incident occurred on the morning of January 23 (Friday)."

The victims were working for a group that broke away from the "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia" (FARC) and opposes the peace agreement signed with the authorities in 2016.

The rebel group confirmed in a statement that "the incident was caused by human error when handling gas cylinders, leading to a fire breaking out at the site within seconds."

For decades, Nariño province, which borders Ecuador, has been a major center for drug production that enters the United States.