Tarata bombing

Tarata bombing
Part of Internal conflict in Peru
Damage caused by the bombing seen from a building in Tarata
LocationTarata St., Miraflores, Lima, Peru
DateJuly 16, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-07-16)
9:15 p.m. (EDT)
Target
Attack type
Deaths25
Injured250
PerpetratorShining Path

The Tarata bombing, known also as the Miraflores bombing or Lima bombing, was a terrorist attack carried out in Tarata Street, located in Miraflores District of Lima, Peru, on 16 July 1992, by the leftist Shining Path terrorist group. The blast was one of the deadliest Shining Path bombings during the Internal conflict in Peru[1] and was part of a larger bombing campaign in the city during the last stage of the terrorism era.

The explosions happened next to the important Avenida Larco, in the business area of Miraflores, an upscale district of the city. Two trucks, each packed with 1,000 kg of explosives, exploded on the street at 9:15 pm next to the Banco de Crédito del Perú Bank located in Larco Avenue, killing 25 and wounding 155.[2] The blast destroyed or damaged 183 homes, 400 businesses and 63 parked cars.[3] The bombings were the beginning of a week-long Shining Path strike against the Peruvian government, a strike which caused 40 deaths and shut down much of the capital.[4]

In the wake of the incident, galvanized by public outrage, President Alberto Fujimori intensified his crackdown on Peruvian insurgent groups, culminating in the capture on September of the same year of Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán, itself leading to the beginning of the end of the insurgency for the group and a decrease in terrorist activities, with fewer attacks happening after the capture of Guzmán.

  1. ^ Cabitza, Mattia (28 February 2012). "Peru's Shining Path rebels: Old enemy, new threat". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  2. ^ Sendero File / August 1992
  3. ^ Economist's View: History of the Car Bomb: "The poor man's air force" Part 2
  4. ^ "40 Killed; Shining Path Guerrillas Shut Down Much of Lima." The New York Times, 26 July 1992.