At least twenty-six people have been killed in a number of attacks in northern Colombia carried out by suspected right-wing paramilitary groups.

Police said the victims appeared to have been picked from a list by the gunmen before being taken from their homes and shot in front of their neighbours.

Correspondents say such tactics are the hallmark of right-wing paramilitaries. Left-wing guerrillas are being blamed for blowing up electricty pylons in the central region of Antioquia, cutting power to much of the province and the city of Medellin.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service