At least five soldiers have been killed in an explosion south of Bogota, the Colombian capital.

Another eight officers were injured in the incident near the town of Vista Hermosa on Friday.

It is thought the military team was searching for hidden munitions belonging to rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) when the blast occurred.

A lieutenant was among those killed in the remote region of central Colombia's Meta department.

Another four soldiers were killed in a Farc attack in the southwestern Cauca department on Monday.

The leftist Farc have been fighting the government for more than four decades but have suffered significant losses during the past year.

Farc's senior leaders have been killed by the military and there have been large numbers of desertions.