Facebook Hit List Terrorizes Colombian Town of Puerto Asis, 3 Dead

NEW YORK (CBS) Panic is spreading across Puerto Asis, Colombia where three teens whose names appeared on a 69-name hit list published on Facebook have been killed, according to officials.

CNN reports that the Facebook hit list was posted on Aug. 17, giving those named on the list three days to leave the southwestern Colombian town or suffer execution, according to federal official Volmar Perez Ortiz.

The list was originally seen as a prank, but officials were forced to take matters seriously when two teenagers whose names appeared on the list were fatally shot Aug. 15. Another death occurred five days later, and the victim's name was also on the list.

Authorities say a second list with an additional 31 names was posted this week. Some worried parents have sent their children away if their name was included on either Facebook post, reports the cable network.

Police are investigating the motive behind the two lists and who might be responsible for posting it. A state of terror has rocked the Colombian town where officials said a criminal gang known as Los Rastrojos and a Marxist guerrilla group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia remain active, reports CNN.