Month

How the explosion occurred after the personnel entered the mine remains unclear, but one member of the crew managed to survive a blast.

"This constituent assembly has an illegitimate origin, and because of that, we cannot recognize its result," said Santos.

"Places like this are important for Medellín because they are the starting point for innovation to become the main driver of the city’s economy," said María Fernanda Galeano.

Ecopetrol owns a 30% stake in the Anadarko-operated Warrior-2 well. The exact volume of the discovery is still under evaluation.

The central bank again expressed concern about economic weakness on top of low domestic demand and low external demand.

With a goal to repair 90,000 potholes in 2017, this puts the capital more than two-thirds of the way to the mayor’s target.

Three rigs are now operating in this 15,000-meter exploration campaign, and two more are planned to join the effort later this year.

"These forecasts for Colombia's growth are much higher, compared to the other scenarios in Latin America," said Cárdenas.

Avianca's top executive called it a “difficult decision” to suspend flights for first time in 60 years while citing safety concerns and operational difficulties.

Anna Stylianides, executive chairman of the company’s board, will serve as interim president and interim CEO, said Eco Oro in a statement.