Bogota, June 23 (IANS): Three people were killed and nine others injured in a car bomb attack in the Colombian city of Taminango in the southern department of Narino, local authorities said.

In a statement, Luis Alfonso Escobar, the governor of Narino, confirmed that two citizens and a young police officer were among the killed, expressing his categorical rejection of "this demented act."

President Gustavo Petro expressed condolences to the bereaved families in a post on his account on X, warning the criminals "who choose the path of war over peace" will "bear the full burden of the law," reports Xinhua news agency.

The shock wave of the car bomb, detonated near the police station of El Remolino in the rural area of Taminango on Friday, also affected several houses and vehicles.

Fernando Latorre, the mayor of Taminango, told local media that this police station suffered two other attacks in the past year, in addition to various murders, calling for "security to be strengthened to give peace to the local inhabitants."