Car bomb in Bolivia kills 1, injures 7

LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- One person died and seven were wounded when a car bomb exploded in Santa Cruz, authorities said.

The blast, which damaged nearby buildings and broke windows, occurred near the police command headquarters at 2:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m. EST).

A caller to a television station in Santa Cruz said a group called Mejores Dias para Bolivia -- Better Days for Bolivia -- was responsible.

The claim of responsibility would not be independently confirmed. Police said they had never heard of the group.

Mauro Bertero, a government spokesman, condemned the blast, calling it a terrorist act.

About half an hour after the bomb detonated, police said they found and deactivated another bomb in a Santa Cruz office of the Empresa Nacional de Telecommunications, the government-owned telephone company.

Authorities speculated the car bomb could be linked to Peruvian terrorists or drug traffickers.

Bolivia is a major producer of coca, the plant from which cocaine is derived.