At least two people died, and four others are missing after an oil barge operated by a contractor of Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA sank in Lake Maracaibo, the company announced on 26 September.
According to Reuters, rescue operations to locate the missing are ongoing. PDVSA attributed the sinking of the Chantase G barge, operated by SOSCA, a provider of oil well maintenance services, to poor weather conditions. Nineteen individuals were successfully rescued from the accident site.
Incidents involving Venezuelan oil barges have become more frequent, with a notable fuel oil spill earlier in the year impacting several Caribbean nations after a barge capsized while navigating from Venezuela, Reuters reports.
