3 killed, 9 injured in Bogota shopping mall blast

Firefighters stand outside the Centro Andino shopping center in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 17, 2017. An explosion rocked the mall, one of the busiest in Colombia's capital. [Photo: AP/Ricardo Mazalan]

Three young women were killed and nine others injured after a strong explosion rocked a shopping mall in Colombia's capital Saturday, local media reported.

Among the dead is a 23-year-old French woman who was performing social service in Bogota.

The explosion occurred in a bathroom on the second floor of Andino shopping mall in the northern part of the city after explosives were detonated, according to local authorities.

Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa called the attack a "cowardly terrorist bombing" on Twitter.

In a Twitter message, President Juan Manuel Santos ordered police to investigate the incident.