2 Colombia troops die in apparent prank

Two army soldiers died Wednesday from burns suffered when their beds were set ablaze by their peers in what officials say was apparently a prank gone awry.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said the tragedy was the result of a hazing ritual known as "the Dragon Game" in which pieces of toilet paper are placed between the fingers of sleeping soldiers and then set afire.

The soldiers suffered burns on 80 percent of their bodies in the incident Saturday at an army detention center in Palmira, 190 miles southwest of Bogota. They were rushed to a hospital in the nearby city of Cali, along with three other cadets who also suffered burns.

"There's a criminal investigation under way to find out exactly what happened," Gen. Leonardo Gomez, commander of the 3rd Brigade, told Caracol Radio.

The five were at the detention center because they had been accused of desertion and dereliction of duty.

Colombia's army _ the main recipient of $4 billion in aid from the United States since 2000 _ has suffered several scandals related to abusive treatment of cadets.

Last year, Gen. Reinaldo Castellanos, the head of the army, was forced to resign amid a scandal in which 21 cadets were burned, beaten and sexually assaulted by their superiors at a training center.

Last week, a local television network broadcast images of an army captain using a wooden plank to beat subordinates in Bogota. The case is also being investigated by the army.