Colombian Navy marine killed in drone attack targeting vessel in Guapi

A Colombian Navy marine was killed and four other uniformed personnel were wounded in a drone attack in the department of Cauca on October 23, 2026. The incident occurred at a river control checkpoint on the Guapi River, in the Bonanza sector of Guapi municipality, when explosives were dropped from a drone onto a vessel belonging to the 42nd River Infantry Battalion.

The deceased was identified as 23-year-old professional marine infantryman Edwin Andrés Vargas Londoño, who had completed one year of service. The four wounded—three marine infantrymen and one non-commissioned officer—received first aid at the scene and were airlifted by a Colombian Air Force helicopter to a high-complexity medical center in Cali. Their health status remains unknown.

The Navy attributed the attack to the GAOr structure 30 Jhonier Toro Arenas of the Western Jacobo Arenas Bloc and categorically rejected what it called a terrorist attack violating international humanitarian law. The institution expressed condolences to the family and friends of the fallen marine and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining security in Colombia's Pacific coast.