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4 Colombian soldiers die after Black Hawk helicopter lands on FARC minefield

Xinhua, June 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Colombian army reported Monday that four soldiers were killed, six injured, after the army's Black Hawk helicopter exploded upon landing on a minefield placed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the northeast.

The Black Hawk EJC-2185 helicopter blasted after a landmine was activated by the FARC in a rural area of Teorama municipality, located in the Norte de Santander Department, the Colombian army said in an online statement.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, when the soldiers were traveling to Catatumbo municipality to strengthen offensive operations near the oil pipelines that were recently attacked by the FARC guerrillas.

The recent FARC attack against the Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline, the largest pipeline in the country, has polluted the Catatumbo River, the region's main tributary watercourse, and affected water service to more than 16,000 people in Tibu of Norte del Santander.

Despite the escalation of the conflict in recent weeks, the Colombian government and the FARC, the largest guerrilla force in Colombia, continue to seek a final peace agreement at the negotiating table in Havana, Cuba, to end 50 years of armed conflict. Endi