Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a American diplomatic staffer from the United States Mission in Colombia has gone missing and is presumed dead after a boating accident.
“To my entire State Department team, Susan and I are with you in your grief,” Pompeo said on Monday. “You have my word the Department will do everything in our power to comfort and support those who have suffered from this devastating loss.”
The incident, which left other people involved with “modest injuries,” occurred on Saturday. One of the people hurt in the accident was airlifted to the U.S. for treatment. The name of the missing State Department employee has not yet been released due to security concerns, but Pompeo said the employee’s family has been notified.
A State Department representative told CNN that the employee was “on temporary assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Bogota” and was also “engaging in tourist activities in Cartagena.”
Colombian President Ivan Duque has said multiple military agencies are searching for the body of the missing diplomatic staffer.
