9 Colombian Hikers Found Shot to Death

Nine hikers who had been exploring a national park in southwestern Colombia were found shot to death at the bottom of a ravine, police said Wednesday.

Police Chief Gen. Ernesto Gilibert said the bodies of the victims--three women and six men, all of them Colombians--were discovered late Tuesday in Purace National Park, named for the glistening, snow-covered Purace volcano.

The victims were found clothed but without their packs, money, watches or jewelry. Medical examiners said there were no signs of sexual abuse. The hikers were shot execution-style--each with a bullet to the head.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the killings, which took place in the violent province of Cauca, the scene of frequent territorial battles between leftist guerrillas and outlawed right-wing death squads fighting in Colombia’s four-decade civil war.

“We have to pool our efforts to establish who was behind these killings. It is extremely worrisome. These were people dedicated to sports and recreational activities that had nothing to do with the conflict,” Gilibert said.

Authorities said the victims were in their 20s and 30s and from Bogota, the capital.