Colombian leader requests investigations into corpses washing ashore

(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for investigations into bodies discovered along the coast, suggesting they may be victims of US military strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, according to reports.

Petro shared images and videos on social media showing corpses found in La Guajira, a northern Colombian region bordering Venezuela near the Caribbean Sea, where the US has conducted anti-narcotics operations.

“Bodies found in the far north of La Guajira. We await identification by forensic medicine,” Petro wrote. He requested that forensic specialists determine the identities of the victims and coordinate with Venezuela's prosecutor's office.

“They may be deaths from bombing in the sea,” he added.

Reports indicate that the US has carried out at least 22 strikes in the area on vessels suspected of transporting narcotics since September, resulting in at least 87 fatalities. In recent months, US military activity across Latin America has expanded, involving Marines, warships, fighter jets, bombers, submarines, and drones.

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