Explosives destroy toll station day after new president's inauguration in Colombia

Unknown assailants destroyed a toll station under construction on Colombia's Pan-American Highway with explosives early Saturday. The attack occurred just one day after Abelardo de la Espriella was inaugurated as the nation's new president in a ceremony held outside the capital.

The group targeted the Mondomo sector of the highway, which connects the cities of Popayán and Cali, during the early morning hours. The resulting explosion left the toll station in ruins and caused traffic to be restricted on the vital route. No casualties have been reported.

This infrastructure has been a target in the past, notably during indigenous protests that disrupted its construction. The current attack marks the first security incident since the inauguration of the ultraconservative De la Espriella, whose administration has pledged to combat drug trafficking, crime, and 'narco-guerrilla' groups without truce. His inauguration ceremony itself proceeded without incident from guerrilla groups or criminal organizations.