Colombia’s newly appointed housing minister, Jaime Andrés Beltrán, faces public backlash after photos and videos surfaced showing him taking a family Caribbean holiday while the country responds to a serious earthquake. The earthquake occurred on August 10 and is reported to have killed nearly 300 people, with thousands left homeless.
The tremor, rated about 7.4 magnitude, is described by outlets as the strongest in Colombia in nearly half a century. It strikes days after President Abelardo de la Espriella assumes office, and the timing has amplified scrutiny of the minister’s conduct. Both reports frame the controversy around the same emerging evidence—alleged holiday posts and weekend footage—though they differ mainly in wording and emphasis on the resulting public fury.
While the sources focus on the political and public reaction to the apparent holiday, they do not provide further detail beyond the minister’s position, the earthquake timeline, and the reported death toll and displacement. The dispute centers on whether the minister’s actions were appropriate during the national crisis.
