An explosion at a secret cocaine lab has killed seven people and injured ten in Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, AFP reported, citing a police statement.
A gas cylinder exploded during the drug production process, according to a preliminary investigation.
The lab is located in the territory of the Ava indigenous people in the department of Nariño, southwestern Colombia - a major cocaine production area where armed groups are very active, AFP noted.
The incident occurred yesterday at dawn, police Colonel John Jairo Urea said in a video statement. The victims worked for a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla group, which did not sign the 2016 peace agreement.
"Due to human error and the handling of gas cylinders, the place caught fire in seconds," the rebel group confirmed in a statement.
The department of Narino, on the border with Ecuador, has played a key role in the production of drugs distributed to the United States for decades.