Massacre in Norte de Santander leaves at least five people dead

A new massacre in Colombia registered in the last hours of Saturday in the department of Norte de Santander has left at least five people dead and six wounded.

The four dead were identified as Wiston Prada Puentes, Heimer Ortiz Ballesteros, Jose Luis Vega Plata, Jesus Alberto Vega and Robinson Garay Barbosa.  The injured who were taken to the Emiro Quintero hospital in the municipality of Ocaña were identified as Deiby Sarabia Guevara, Diego Andrés Ortiz Guerrero, Cristian Camilo Torrado Prada, and José Julián Jiménez Coronel.

The incident took place inside a night club in the Oropoma village between the municipalities of Ábrego and Ocaña.  According to the first information, the violent event took place when armed men arrived at a billiard room in the area and attacked the people who were inside the place.

Authorities do not know the perpetrators of the act, but they are considering the hypothesis that the attack was perpetrated by one of the irregular armed groups operating in the region.

A judicial commission was sent to the area to try to establish the motives of the new massacre.  According to the registry of human rights organizations, at least 16 massacres have been perpetrated this year.