A motorcycle carrying explosives exploded in Colombia, killing one person and injuring 14 others

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – A motorcycle packed with explosives detonated at a police checkpoint in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, killing the driver and injuring 14 others, authorities said.

The police were inspecting the community of Las Penas in the municipality of Jamundi to prevent possible violence by illegal armed groups, said the commander of the Cali Metropolitan Police, Col. Carlos Oviedo told reporters.

The driver “freaked out” and detonated explosives after being called to a checkpoint, Oviedo said, killing and injuring seven civilians and seven police officers. One of the officers “has a reserved prognosis,” he added.

Gangs consider Jamundi a strategic location because of its coca leaf plants, which are converted into cocaine, and because it is connected to the port of Buenaventura.

Organized crime group Jaime Martinez is active in the area. It is made up of dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym FARC, who did not accept the 2016 peace deal with the regime.

Firearms attacks by soldiers and police, which authorities say are illegal armed groups, have continued despite Colombian President Gustavo Petro's efforts to negotiate peace deals with illegal forces under a strategy known as total peace.

The Ombudsman's office expressed concern over the escalation of violence in Jamundi and urged the authorities to ensure the safety and security of citizens.