A crash involving 13 cars and motorcycles on Calle 80 in Medellín, Colombia, on Friday 13 November 2026 left two people dead. Fifteen others had minor injuries, according to the city’s traffic department, although some reports say 14.
Medellín is a popular destination for US tourists and expats, and Calle 80 is a main road in the north-west of the city. Closures and diversions affect anyone moving around the area that day.
Key Facts
—What. A pileup of 13 cars and motorcycles killed two people on a motorcycle; about 15 others had minor injuries.
—Where. Calle 80 near the Cementerio Universal (a large cemetery), north-west Medellín, Colombia.
—When. Friday 13 November 2026, around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT, Greenwich Mean Time).
—Cause (preliminary). A vehicle apparently lost its brakes on a slope. Authorities have not confirmed this.
—As of. 13 November 2026, 19:20 GMT.
What We Know
The crash happened on Calle 80, a main road near the Cementerio Universal, a large cemetery in the Córdoba and Robledo area of north-west Medellín. El Espectador, a Bogotá daily, and El Colombiano, a Medellín daily, place it at Calle 80 and Carrera 68, where Calle means a street and Carrera an avenue.
El Espectador puts the time at around 11:00 local time. Mayor Federico Gutiérrez of Medellín wrote on X, the social media platform, on 13 November, as quoted by El Espectador, that teams from the Secretaría de Movilidad (Medellín’s traffic and transport department), the Bomberos (the fire brigade) and the health department were attending “a serious road accident”.
He said two people lost their lives and others had light injuries. The mayor’s post, as quoted by El Espectador, places the incident on Calle 80 between Carreras 65 and 95, a longer stretch than the junction named above.
He sent his solidarity to the families of the dead and said he was watching the condition of the injured closely.
El Espectador reported on 13 November, citing a Secretaría de Movilidad report, that 13 vehicles were involved, private cars and motorcycles. It said 15 people had minor injuries and were treated at the scene, and that the preliminary report showed none needed a hospital transfer, while the El Tiempo video report said six went by ambulance.
Pablo Ferney Ruiz Garzón, the Secretary of Mobility, gave the balance of 13 vehicles, 15 injured and two dead, according to El Tiempo, a Colombian national daily, which cited El Colombiano on 13 November. An El Tiempo video report put the injured at 14, so the count varies slightly between reports.
Preliminary accounts say a vehicle apparently lost its brakes while going down the sloping road. El Tiempo described it as a truck, in one report a furgón, a box-type truck.
The vehicle reportedly ran over two people on a motorcycle and then hit other vehicles stopped at a traffic light. Both people on the motorcycle died, according to El Tiempo.
El Espectador reported that judicial inspection of the bodies was under way. It also said Calle 80 was closed from the Altamira roundabout, a road junction, to the Cementerio Universal, while other reports gave different limits for the closure.
What Is Not Known
Officials have not released the names of the two people who died. El Tiempo carried conflicting early reports about them, so we do not state their ages or sex.
Colombia is on UTC-5, the same as US Eastern Standard Time at this time of year, so 11:00 in Medellín was 11:00 on the US East Coast. The cause is not confirmed.
El Espectador reported that authorities must establish the exact circumstances and confirm whether a brake failure was related to the crash. The driver’s identity has not appeared in the coverage cited here, and none of it mentions an arrest.
The exact type of the vehicle is also unclear, since reports describe it as a truck, a box truck or a car.
What It Means for Travelers and US Readers
Travellers in Medellín should expect delays around Calle 80 and the Cementerio Universal while the road is cleared and the investigation continues. According to El Tiempo, Mayor Gutiérrez asked residents to take alternative routes and to ease the work of the emergency teams.
Our Medellín city guide explains how the city is laid out, and our guide to safety in Colombia for foreigners covers wider travel precautions. Reports so far describe a crash on a sloping road, but the cause is for the authorities to establish.
Until they do, the brake failure remains a preliminary account and not a finding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on Calle 80 in Medellín?
A vehicle apparently lost its brakes on a sloping road, hit two people on a motorcycle and then struck other vehicles stopped at a traffic light, according to preliminary reports. The cause is not confirmed.
How many people died and how many were injured?
Two people on a motorcycle died. The Secretaría de Movilidad reported 15 people with minor injuries and 13 vehicles involved, according to El Espectador and El Tiempo.
What caused the crash?
Preliminary reports point to a brake failure, but El Espectador says authorities must still establish the exact circumstances and confirm whether it was related to the crash. No official cause has been announced.
Is Calle 80 closed?
El Espectador reported that Calle 80 was closed from the Altamira roundabout to the Cementerio Universal, and El Tiempo says Mayor Gutiérrez asked drivers to use alternative routes. We have no confirmation of when it reopens.
Sources: Mayor Federico Gutiérrez on X, 13 November 2026, as quoted by El Espectador and El Tiempo; Secretaría de Movilidad, as reported by the outlets below; El Espectador, 13 November 2026; El Tiempo, 13 November 2026.
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