A devastating early-morning collision at a highway toll station in central Colombia has left at least two people dead and 19 others injured, local regional authorities confirmed Wednesday. The multi-vehicle crash unfolded approximately 31 miles north of Colombia’s capital city Bogotá, on a heavily traveled artery in the Cundinamarca department, according to regional governor Emilio Rey, who shared details of the incident on social platform X.
Rey explained that the chain reaction crash was triggered when a milk delivery truck suffered total brake failure, barreling into the line of stopped vehicles waiting to pay tolls. The out-of-control truck slammed into six passenger vehicles and one motorcycle already positioned at the booth, sparking a series of powerful explosions that engulfed multiple vehicles in intense fire. Eyewitness accounts and footage from the crash site confirm multiple blasts that left most of the involved vehicles completely destroyed by flames.
Local media footage captured chaotic, harrowing scenes at the site: bystanders tearfully worked to extract trapped survivors from mangled wreckage, while thick black smoke billowed from burning vehicles. Hollman Osma, one witness who was at the toll booth when the crash occurred, described the sudden, shocking event to local news outlet Noticias Caracol. “I saw when the truck went through the toll booth, then there was an explosion, it overturned, and there were strong explosions and vehicles burning,” Osma said. “There was absolutely nothing that could be done.”
In response to the disaster, emergency services mobilized a large contingent to the crash area: at least 11 ambulances, alongside teams of firefighters and law enforcement officers, were dispatched to conduct search and rescue operations and transport the injured to medical facilities. All injured victims are currently receiving care at hospitals in surrounding communities, though Governor Rey has not yet released further information on the severity of their injuries or their current prognosis. As of Wednesday afternoon, the highway remained fully closed to through traffic while investigators work to document the crash site and clear wreckage from the road.