BOGOTA, Jan 26, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Colombia’s Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo died Tuesday of complications stemming from Covid-19, the country’s president said.
“Carlos Holmes Trujillo died at dawn today, after complications in his
health while he was battling Covid-19,” President Ivan Duque said in a video posted on Twitter.
Duque said that he “couldn’t express the pain” he was feeling over the news. He offered his condolences to Holmes Trujillo’s wife, children and other family members.
“His life was a reflection of his vocation for public service,” Duque said.
Trujillo, 69, had first been hospitalized Jan 11. Four days later, he
was taken into intensive care at a Bogota military hospital suffering “acute
lung function deterioration,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
Holmes Trujillo became defense minister in November 2019, after serving as foreign minister. He was also the mayor of Cali from 1988-1990.
Colombia has recorded more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19. Coronavirus infections have increased dramatically in the South American country since the Christmas holidays, with more than 15,000 new cases per day reported in the second week of January, compared with about 7,000 cases per day at the start of December. — NNN-AGENCIES
