Family massacred in Colombian farmhouse

Heavily armed attackers opened fire on a group of people in a Colombian farmhouse, killing 14 of them – including a toddler and a pregnant woman.

No motive was immediately apparent for the massacre near the village of Candelaria, 190 miles south-west of Bogota, the capital. The assailants reportedly used rifles and even a grenade launcher in last night’s attack.

A police patrol that was nearby engaged in a firefight with the attackers and killed one of them.

Oscar Lopez, mayor of Candelaria, said the victims were all related and that the family had recently bought the hacienda where the massacre occurred.

A three-year-old boy was among those killed. The unborn baby was not counted among the 14 dead. The mother was four months pregnant.

“This is a horrifying crime which has us deeply disturbed,” Lopez said.

Colombia is embroiled in a long-term war, fuelled by drug trafficking, that pits two Marxist rebel groups against outlawed paramilitary groups and government forces.