One civilian died and two were wounded Sunday in a bomb attack in southwestern Colombia attributed to FARC rebels, the first since the leftist group's leader was killed, officials said.

"They used 100-pound (45-kilogram) gas cylinders as improvised mortars and launched them indiscriminately against the police station" in Piendamo in Cauca department, local police chief Colonel Carlos Rodriguez told reporters.

A police spokesman who requested anonymity told AFP the attack took place around 2:00 am (0700 GMT), when suspected FARC guerrillas launched four bombs against the police station. Only three of the bombs exploded.

The explosions destroyed a home and damaged another 18, along with the front of the police barracks.

Marxist leader Alfonso Cano, who had led the FARC since 2008, was gunned down in a firefight late Friday during a day-long operation in which his female companion also died, according to local and national officials.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, believed to have 8,000 members, has been at war with the government since its launch in 1964. The group has acknowledged Cano's death but vowed to fight on.