Colombia Minister Faces Backlash Over Post-Quake Beach Trip
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Bogota: Colombia's new Housing Minister, Jaime Andrés Beltrán, is under fire when photos surfaced of him vacationing with his family on a Caribbean beach while the country was suffering with the repercussions of a terrible 7.4-magnitude earthquake.
The August 10 earthquake shook western Colombia, killing about 300 people, wounding others, and causing severe devastation and displacement. The accident has put enormous strain on President Abelardo de la Espriella's freshly established administration.
Beltrán's holiday in Santa Marta has sparked special outrage because his ministry is in charge of housing, a critical component of the earthquake rebuilding work. Critics have questioned the timing of the trip, while thousands of families remain homeless.
The minister has justified the decision, saying that the trip was scheduled before he took office, and that he kept in touch with his staff and continued to work remotely.
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