Dozens of parishioners were attending Sunday Mass in El Carmelo, a town in southwestern Colombia, when their prayers were interrupted by gunfire.

The shots were coming from the street as alleged members of dissident factions of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla group were attacking law enforcement officers.

Diego Tejada, the parish priest of El Carmelo, located in the troubled department of Cauca, told The Associated Press on Monday, he urged the people to remain calm.

"While being at the Eucharist, the bullets started, people started to run. I invited them to stay calm, invited them into the parish house, to the rectory to take shelter. When we were there, an explosion took place," said Diego Tejada.

The Sunday attack lasted several hours and combined gunfire with explosives.

It targeted the town's police station but ended up also affecting residents' homes, vehicles, park, church, and the parish house.

Authorities reported one police officer dead and at least four others wounded.

The army reported on Sunday that troops had entered El Carmelo with the aim of restoring order after the “terrorist actions.”

The Colombian army said the armed groups used local residents as human shields to prevent troops from entering the area to support police efforts.

The governor of Cauca, Octavio Guzmán, said on X that he made an urgent call to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez to ask for the restoration public order and the protection of the local population.

AP video by Juan Diaz.