Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has announced the state will cover all medical expenses resulting from the explosion of an oil pipe in the central Colombian department of Risaralda on Friday morning.
President Santos announced on his official website that he will visit the town of Dosquebradas this afternoon, to witness first hand the devastation caused by the explosion of an oil pipe early this morning.
According to most recent news updates, 11 people have now been confirmed dead, and more than 81 people wounded.
Via his Twitter account this morning, the president expressed his solidarity with the people of Dosquebradas, and assured them that “all expenses regarding the care of the wounded will be borne by Ecopetrol,” Colombia’s state-owned oil company and the owner of the pipeline.
The president added that the government’s Risk Management Unit will provide rent subsidies of up to COP $250,000 or $130 for 3 months for each of the families that require relocation due to the explosion.
More than 30 homes have now been destroyed in the disaster, while hundreds remain without water. Ecopetrol has issued a statement to say that 95% of the oil slick in the Agua Azul river is now under control.
Despite earlier assertions that the explosion was the result of people trying to steal gasoline from the pipeline, more recent reports suggest that Ecopetrol investigations are still ongoing to determine whether it may have been a technical fault.
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