An explosion at the Casablanca tollbooth, on the Zipaquirá–Ubaté highway near Cogua (Cundinamarca), caused a tractor-trailer and several vehicles to catch fire on the morning of April 1, 2026, leaving at least 21 injured and 4 dead, according to the governor of Cundinamarca Jorge Emilio Rey.
The magnitude of the emergency led to the complete closure of the road corridor, while firefighter, ambulance and National Police personnel attended to the injured and controlled the fire generated after the accident. The road will remain blocked at least until the early afternoon, affecting traffic towards Boyacá and the North Highway.
The balance was confirmed by the authority, which reported that “the injured were transferred to different healthcare centers in at least 11 ambulances that went to the scene of the emergency.”
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Regarding the incident, the deputy medical director of the Zipaquirá Regional Hospital, Andrés Rodríguez, in conversation with Caracol News He specified the impact on the hospital: “Today around half past six the emergency agencies of the department of Cundinamarca were activated. Exactly thirteen polytraumatized people were admitted, one with a serious illness with a severe craniocerebral trauma who was already referred to our main institution in Bogotá, the La Samaritana University Hospital.”
The emergency report from the Departmental Fire Department confirmed the multiple fire after the strong explosion, the result of the collision of a tractor-trailer with at least eight vehicles at kilometer 40. Panic in the area led to the urgent evacuation of people trapped in the damaged cars.
Later images show the consequences of the multiple crash that triggered the emergency on the road to Ubaté – credit supplied to Infobae
According to Rodríguez, the response involved the coordination of “the mayor as the main emergency responder, Dr. Fabián Rojas, and also with the coordination of our manager, Dr. Jorge Andrés, since all the successful care of our patients was carried out.”
The doctor added: “We currently have a patient who is going to the surgery room and the rest of the patients who are being cared for by the various specialties that we have here in our institution.”
The mayor of Zipaquirá, Fabián Mauricio Rojas, told Blu Radio that the decline before the toll could have influenced the loss of control of the heavy vehicle. In the words of the mayor: “The toll point is flat, but the tractor-trailer was coming from a slope, which could have influenced the accident.”
The national highway remains closed under the joint attention of firefighters from Zipaquirá, Cogua, Cajicá and Nemocón, together with risk management teams, the National Police and the Army. Authorities recommended drivers take alternate routes through the Chocontá–Villapinzón corridor or divert traffic through Gachancipá and Tocancipá to access the North Highway.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and failures in the initial response
The force of the collision caused an immediate explosion and sparked a fire that destroyed several vehicles in seconds. A witness who was circulating in line, interviewed by Caracol Newsrelated: “I saw when the tractor-trailer arrived, passed the toll, overturned and the explosion occurred.”
The citizen, along with others present, tried to help the occupants; However, the rapid advance of the flames complicated the rescue efforts and “the magnitude of the fire made rescue efforts difficult in the first minutes,” as detailed to the media. In addition, he pointed out that the traffic flow in both directions complicated the timely arrival of emergency teams: “Access was difficult due to the number of cars on the road.”
The authorities have not yet confirmed whether the number of fatalities could increase, as the inspection, verification and information gathering work at the site continues.
