There was never any intention on our part to harm the community

FARC statement

The attack was the deadliest single incident in the country's 38-year-old civil war.

Government troops have finally regained control of the area, which is cut off from land and air by flood waters.

The Colombian president, Andres Pastrana, has asked the United Nations to investigate the killings, while Amnesty International has urged candidates in forthcoming elections to cut ties with paramilitary groups.

Deaths 'lamented'

The villagers who died were among about 300 people who had sought refuge in the church as FARC guerrillas battled with right-wing paramilitaries for control of Bojaya, in Choco province.

At least 45 children were among the victims.

FARC said it "lamented" the deaths but accused the outlawed United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) of putting civilians in danger.

"There was never any intention on our part to harm the community," the FARC said.

Drugs war

The swampy Choco province has become a key battleground in the fight to control arms and drugs smuggling across the border with Panama.

The area became a target for AUC attacks after rebels took control of the area in March, 2000.

On 1 May, the FARC attacked a boat carrying AUC fighters, triggering fierce clashes between the two sides.

The church was hit as AUC fighters reportedly took up positions in the village.

Government criticised

The Colombian Government said the attack was more evidence of the FARC's descent into terrorism.

The FARC said right-wing militias put civilians in danger

But the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Medellin says the government has come under criticism for abandoning Bojaya two years ago and later for ignoring warnings that the community was in grave danger.

The military has also been criticised for taking five days to get to Bojaya, by which time it had become a ghost town.

The AUC is believed to have the tacit support of the Colombian armed forces.

Last week, the United States said the Colombian army had severed links with the AUC, making it eligible for $1.7bn of aid.