At least 52 people killed in fighting in Colombia

At least 52 people have been killed in scattered fighting in Colombia, authorities say.

One civilian and two policemen are among the dead after a rebel attack in the town of Maito.

The Colombian army says at least 30 FARC rebels and 14 soldiers were killed in three separate battles.

In the bloodiest battle, the FARC lost at least 29 members near Oporapa, 215 miles south of Bogota, General Jorge Mora says.

The death toll is probably higher, he says. but officials have not been able to retrieve all the bodies because of continued fighting.

"It was an intense combat," Gen Mora said.

The army suffered its heaviest losses in fighting in Boyaca state, in central Colombia, where 14 soldiers were killed in a rebel attack on an army facility on Wednesday night.

Officials say the FARC lost several fighters in the ensuing battle near the town of Guica.

Five members of the leftist National Liberation Army also died in separate battles, the army reports.

The rebels traditionally launched attacks just prior to a change of government. President-elect Alvaro Uribe, elected on promises to increase the size of the military and hammer the rebels on the battlefield, is set to take office on August 7.