Grenade attack in Colombia's capital kills three people

Two children and a local sports journalist were killed when an unknown suspect tossed a hand grenade that exploded inside a Bogota shop, authorities said Sunday.

The violence occurred Saturday night at a store that sells bags and other plastic goods in the poor neighborhood of Fontibon in the western part of the city, Bogota Metropolitan Police chief Col. Luis Alberto Moore told Caracol Radio.

RCN Radio sports broadcaster Martin Alirio Vina and a 7-year-old boy died in a hospital from injuries sustained in the explosion, RCN reported. A 2-year-old girl was killed immediately in the attack. Two other people injured in the attack are recovering in a local hospital, authorities said.

Police are investigating but have no suspects and do not know whether the attack was committed by common criminals or one of Colombia's several illegal, armed groups. 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 country 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, AP reports.

A.M.