Colombia quake minister criticized over beach trip

Colombia's new housing minister, Jaime Andres Beltran, faced criticism after photos and videos showed him at a Caribbean beach days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 300 people and destroyed nearly 27,000 homes.

The left-wing opposition said it would bring a no-confidence motion against Beltran, accusing him of taking leave at a critical time after the August 10 quake in western Colombia.

Beltran wrote on X on Monday that he was “not on holidays” but had spent a few hours with his wife and children, whom he said he had not seen for days. He said he immediately resumed work on post-quake reconstruction afterward.

The quake struck three days after President Abelardo de la Espriella took office. A week after the disaster, hopes of finding more survivors under rubble have dwindled, and attention has shifted to a humanitarian crisis in Cali, Pereira and other quake-hit areas, where many survivors are sleeping in the open on mattresses or makeshift beds.

De la Espriella toured the affected region last week and announced rent subsidies for families who lost their homes. He also called on US President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs on Colombian goods. On Sunday, De la Espriella was criticized for tossing footballs marked with his campaign slogan from an armored vehicle during a visit near the quake's epicenter.