3 KILLED IN COLOMBIAN MALL BLAST

Dead includes French teacher who worked in city’s poor neighbourhood

BOGOTA and held accountable.

“Terrorists are not going to change our ways,” he said at the scene of the attack, urging Colombians to continue “normal life” and enjoy the Fathers Day holiday yesterday.

One Frenchwoman, 23, died in the attack, according to the city’s mayor. Two Colombians also died, the Clinic of the Country said. Another 48-year-old Frenchwoman was among the injured, according to the clinic.

The Frenchwoman who died had spent six months working in a school in a poor neighbourhood, Penalosa said.

Police said that at 5pm, the explosion tore through a restroom in the Centro Andino Mall, crowded with shoppers ahead of Fathers Day and located in an affluent area of the capital.

National police chief General Jorge Nieto said “a device” was placed “behind one of the toilets in the women’s bathroom”.

Michael Montoya, who works in a pastry shop on the third floor, said “we were tending to customers and we heard an explosion on the second floor”.

After heading to the scene, he said he and his colleague saw people crying and bloodstained.

“It was in the bathroom because some women came out crying. There was smoke and security people told us to evacuate.”

Andres Bermudez, his hands still trembling in the aftermath of the attack, described “people crying in panic”.

“It’s a miracle I’m alive.”

The ELN, with 1,500 fighters, is the last guerilla group still active in the country, but was quick to condemn the attack.

“ELN_Paz condemns this deplorable incident,” the group wrote on its Twitter account, noting that the attack was “against civilians”. AFP