Neiva: 22 years of the tragedy that shook an entire city

With a floral offering, the 22 years of the “Bomba House” were commemoratedterrorist attack where 15 people died (9 police, a prosecutor and 5 civilians), and left more 60 injured. The fact was attributed to the ‘Teófilo Forro’ column of the FARC who sought to attempt against the then President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

On February 14, 2003, it was marked in the history of Neiva as a day of terror and pain, that fateful day, the Explosion of a house in the Villa Magdalena neighborhood to the north of the city, perpetrated by the then column ‘Teófilo Forero’ of the FARC, it had as Objective to attempt against the life of then President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

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The macabre strategy consisted of exploding the house at the time of the arrival of the presidential plane to the Benito Salas airport, located near a residential area; however, The Police and the Attorney General of the Nation managed to discover the plan before it was executed in its entirety. Even so, the tragedy was inevitable and left a deep emptiness in the families of the victims and throughout the community.

“I remember it very clearly, because In that neighborhood a grandson lived with his motherand very in the morning when that rumble was heard, we did not know what had happened, at the moment the ambulances began to happen. When we knew where it was, we left to help, but the place was already cordoned off. They did not miss”, Recalled a citizen.

And is that The memory of the victims is still intact in the memory of their familieswho every year revive the pain of their absence and honor their lives with tributes loaded with nostalgia and love.

“We carry food for my grandson, but also for the people of the neighborhood, We take tents because they could not sleep inside their homes for dangerdue to how many of the houses had been after the explosive wave, but they didn’t want to take care of their belongings, ”the woman shared.

Among those memories, the testimony of those who knew them closely, Those who still keep their voices, their smiles and dreams that were truncated by violence.

“He was very sad, my grandson cried a lot, he suffered because in the tragedy a friend of him died precisely to school. The whole scene was terrible, there were glass everywhere, some were embedded in the walls, There were bodies everywhere … it was one of many times of terror that the city lived ”, The affected woman indicated.

The families of the victims have lived two decades of absence and regret, for many, The passage of time has not erased the scars of that February morning in which violence took their loved ones.

“Today, February 14, we commemorate 22 years of a fact that unfortunately happened in the city of Neiva, a terrorist attack that occurred in the early hours of the morning. The detonation attributed to the mobile column ‘Teófilo Forero’ from the FARC, it occurred inside a house, They were about 200 kilos of explosives Used in this terrorist act, ”said Colonel Alexander Castillo Marín, commander of the Neiva Metropolitan Police.

In this way, every year, on this date, family, friends and authorities remember the victims and pay tribute to their memory: The second specialized prosecutorCecilia Giraldo Saavedra, and the brave police who died in fulfillment of their duty, among them, Henry Angarita, major of the Sijin; Subintendents Fernando Malambo Ortiz and Ainer Ricardo Suárez; and patrolmen Freddy Rodríguez, Ángel Alexander Orjuela, César Augusto Galeno, Javier Quintero, Ocaris Ramírez and Jaime Solano.

In addition, The memory of civilians is honored who lost their lives after the fact, such as Ismael Plazas, Doris Castrillón, Aliria Hernández, Sandra Milena Castrillón and little Kelly Narváez, a minor That after returning to his home, apparently to collect something that had forgotten it, he dies in the midst of the explosion.

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“They were also 66 people who were injured and around 60 homes suffered material damage by the explosive wave. We want to remember and honor the memory of those who will always remain among us, extending a fraternal and supportive greeting to their families, ”added the colonel.

During the tribute act, A floral offering and a minute of silence were carried out in honor of those who lost their lives in this attack.

“What we want is that the historical memory of the city is not lost, pay tribute to the families of the victims, tell them that we remind them, and that it hurts is also that of the institutions, Because those facts marked a negative historical milestone of tragedy in the city”Said the Secretary of Municipal Government, José Ferney Ducuara.

Despite the years elapsed, the wound is still open in the hearts of the Neivanos. The community continues to remember those who died on February 14, keeping your memory alive and reiterating your commitment to the construction of a society where peace and respect for life are priority.