The bombing occurred in the million city Cali in western Colombia. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, several trucks with explosives have been placed outside the Marco Fidel Suárez airbase. Only one of them exploded.
Two people have been arrested for the act, according to the newspaper. A reward of 400 million pesos, just over 950,000 kronor, has been issued for information that leads to finding those responsible.
According to Mayor Alejandro Eder, several of the dead may be civilians who were passing by on the street. The number of injured is over 60.
Traveling to the city
A ban on larger trucks from driving into the city has been introduced after what the authorities call a "terror attack".
We will not let fear control our city. We will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice, says Alejandro Eder according to El Tiempo.
President Gustavo Petro will travel to Cali on Thursday evening.
In June, more than 20 attacks were carried out using, among other things, car bombs near Cali. The EMC drug cartel, which consists of defectors from the now-defunct Farc guerrilla, took responsibility for the acts but has not yet taken responsibility for Thursday's attack.
Earlier in the morning, violence broke out between police and those identified by the authorities as members of the EMC, in the northwestern parts of the country, in connection with the police destroying coca plantations.
Relatively calm since 2016
At least 12 police officers are said to have been killed and eight injured. Furthermore, cartel members are said to have shot down a police helicopter using drones.
The country's largest cartel, the Gulf Cartel, is also in the area.
Colombia has lived in relative calm since the Farc guerrilla laid down their arms in 2016, but has recently seen more and more violent acts from the country's various drug cartels.
President Petro announced after Thursday's violence that several of the cartels will be classified as terrorist organizations.
Corrected: In an earlier version of the text, Cali's mayor was given the wrong name.
