Two teenagers on a motorcycle were nearly killed when another abandoned motorcycle exploded in front of a hotel in the southern Colombian city of Samaniego.
A security camera shows residents walking past the motorcycle, unaware that it is loaded with explosives, as a national police pickup truck reverses into a nearby police station.
Civilians on two bicycles and a pickup truck also rode past the vehicle full of explosives on Thursday afternoon in the seconds before the explosion.
The two teenagers, whose names have not been released, were on their way to a provincial music event and turned left around the corner from the hotel where they were staying when the motorcycle bomb detonated.
The impact of the explosion threw them to the ground, while flames engulfed the bombed motorcycle.
Two teenagers on a motorcycle approach the bomb-laden motorcycle (circled in red) that was abandoned and exploded outside a hotel in Samaniego, Colombia on Thursday
A motorcycle loaded with explosives exploded Thursday near a hotel and a police station in Samaniego, Colombia. Authorities are investigating whether the suspects targeted the hotel or the police
The teenager on the motorcycle quickly got up and walked across the street, then went back to help his friend, who was slowly getting up.
They were rushed to Lorencita Villegas de Santos Hospital, national police said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Noticias Caracol reported that a third person, who was in the hotel, was also injured.
One of the victims, who was on the motorcycle, was later transferred to a medical facility in the municipality of Pasto and is in stable condition.
The National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia has identified double bassist Jorge Prada as one of the victims.
The bombing did not deter residents and band members from attending the provincial band meeting, where the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia performed.
Two teenagers stand by their wrecked motorcycle that fell to the ground after a motorcycle bombing (pictured left in flames). The teenagers were taken to a local medical facility, where they were treated. The extent of their injuries is unknown
Colombia’s National Symphony Orchestra performed at the provincial music gathering on Thursday after a motorcycle bombing injured three people, including double bassist Jorge Prada
“Our mission as a symphony orchestra and association is to bring sounds of peace and reconciliation to every corner of Colombia,” the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia said in a statement.
“We firmly believe that music is a universal language that can heal, unite and transform. When the sound of bombs reaches our territories, our sounds of peace and hope, through music, will resonate even louder.”
Investigators are investigating whether the suspects behind the attack targeted the hotel or the national police station, Noticias Caracol reported.
According to El Colombiano, residents of the area told authorities that concerns have arisen in the city due to the presence of the National Liberation Army, the Marxist-Leninist guerrilla movement.
Residents walk past the abandoned motorcycle covered in explosives just before it was detonated and injured three people in Samaniego, Colombia, on Thursday
Pictured: The aftermath of the bombing of Samaniego
The government of Nariño province has used the town of Samaniego to organize peace talks with leaders of the guerrilla movement, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by Canada, Colombia, the European Union, New Zealand and the United States.
Congressman Erick Velasco from Nariño called on the terrorist group to lay down their arms and agree to a peace treaty, without naming the terrorist group.
“I reject the cowardly motorcycle bombing against the people of Samaniego and ask the Minister of Defense to take measures to guarantee the well-being and protection of the community,” Velasco wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“I demand that the violent stop the violence and have the courage to commit themselves to the peace that Nariño demands and needs.”