At least 80 people were killed in northeast Colombia following failed attempts at peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

A Colombian official says more than 80 people have been killed in the country’s northeast region following failed attempts by the government to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army.

The death toll from attacks by a rebel group in Colombia's Catatumbo region has risen to 60, the country's human rights office has said. Rival factions have been vying for control of the cocaine trade in the region - which sits near the border with Venezuela - for years.