Colombia's capital: Grenade attack kills one girl, injures five people

An unknown assailant tossed a hand grenade into a shop on Saturday night, killing a young girl and injuring five other people, authorities said.

The attack occurred at a store that sells bags and other plastic goods in the poor neighborhood of Fontibon in the western part of the city, Bogota's deputy secretary of security, Andres Restrepo, told RCN Radio Saturday. The girl's age was not provided.

Police are investigating, but so far have no suspects, Restrepo said.

RCN also reported that one of its sports broadcasters, Martin Alirio Vina, was among those injured.

In Colombia, which is embroiled in a 41-year rebel conflict, the trafficking of small arms such as hand grenades is relatively common.

This South American nation has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with 67 per 100,000 residents last year, according to figures from the international police organization Interpol. This compares to rates of some 6 per 100,000 in the United States and 3 per 100,000 in Britain, reported AP. P.T.