BOGOTA, Aug 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Colombian Navy officials said three soldiers were killed and four others were injured Tuesday after a drone loaded with explosives attacked a vessel navigating a river near the country's Pacific coast.

Colombia is experiencing its worst wave of violence since the signing of a peace treaty between its government and the now-defunct FARC guerilla group, with deadly drone attacks on the rise.

Tuesday's attack occurred while troops were patrolling the Naya River, in a rural area near Colombia's main port on the Pacific Ocean, Navy officials said in a press release.

The four injured soldiers were taken by helicopter to the city of Buenaventura for medical care.

Authorities blame the attack on a FARC dissident group led by Ivan Mordisco, a former mid-level guerilla commander who refused to sign the 2016 peace agreement.

Leftist President Gustavo Petro attempted to negotiate peace with Mordisco, but officials say the guerilla leader abandoned talks in 2024, after a year of negotiations.