Current:Home > StocksHelicopter with 5 senior military officials from Guyana goes missing near border with Venezuela-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Helicopter with 5 senior military officials from Guyana goes missing near border with Venezuela
View Date:2024-12-23 16:34:54
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A military helicopter carrying seven people vanished Wednesday near Guyana’s border with Venezuela, with authorities saying there was bad weather in the area and stressing there was no indication it may have been hit by hostile fire as tensions escalate between the countries.
Two crew members aboard the helicopter were taking five senior officers on an inspection of troops guarding a border area that Venezuela claims as its own, according to Army Chief Brig. Gen. Omar Khan.
Venezuelan troops with heavy equipment and machinery have been amassing on the border in recent weeks, leading to speculation of an imminent invasion.
Khan told reporters late Wednesday that Guyana’s Defense Force lost contact with the brand new Bell 412 EPI aircraft after it took off from Olive Creek settlement in western Guyana following a refueling stop.
Asked if the aircraft was shot out of the sky as it flew in a mountainous and heavily forested area, Khan said there are no indications that occurred.
“We do not have any information suggesting that there was any flight by Venezuelan aircraft in that area,” he said. “Speculation is not what I want to go into. Our priority is to save the lives of our officers and ranks.”
He said the U.S. government will help with the search when it resumes Thursday amid a forecast of better weather.
Among those helping with the search are private aircraft.
The aircraft’s disappearance about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the Venezuelan border comes amid heightened tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, which is rich with minerals and located near massive oil deposits. Venezuela claims the region as its own, insisting it has been part of the country since Spanish rule.
Guyana has maintained that the border defined by international arbitrators in 1899 is the correct one.
On Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a referendum in which Venezuelans approved his claim of sovereignty over Essequibo. Then on Tuesday, Maduro said he would immediately grant operating licenses for exploration and exploitation in Essequibo and ordered the creation of local subsidiaries of Venezuelan public companies.
Meanwhile, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali told The Associated Press on Wednesday morning that he was taking all necessary steps to defend his country from Venezuela.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Eva Longoria calls US 'dystopian' under Trump, has moved with husband and son
- Adults can now legally possess and grow marijuana in Ohio — but there’s nowhere to buy it
- It was a great year for music. Here are our top songs including Olivia Rodrigo and the Beatles
- Key events in Vladimir Putin’s more than two decades in power in Russia
- Brittany Cartwright Defends Hooking Up With Jax Taylor's Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Pantone reveals Peach Fuzz as its 2024 Color of the Year
- Florida student deported after being accused of injecting chemicals into neighbors’ home
- Man found dead after staff see big cat holding a shoe in its mouth at Pakistan zoo
- Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Brittany Cartwright Dating His Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Biden heads to Las Vegas to showcase $8.2B for 10 major rail projects around the country
Ranking
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- Army secretary fires top prosecutor over 2013 email questioning sexual assault claims
- What is Bodhi Day? And when do Buddhists celebrate it?
- The UN secretary-general invoked ‘Article 99' to push for a Gaza ceasefire. What exactly is it?
- Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
- Pantone reveals Peach Fuzz as its 2024 Color of the Year
- Tim Allen slammed for being rude on 'The Santa Clauses' set: 'Worst experience'
- UNLV gunman was unemployed professor who had 150 rounds of ammunition and a target list, police say
Recommendation
-
What is prize money for NBA Cup in-season tournament? Players get boost in 2024
-
Yankees' huge move for Juan Soto is just a lottery ticket come MLB playoffs
-
Maternal mortality rate is much higher for Black women than white women in Mississippi, study says
-
Doomsday Mom Lori Vallow Daybell arraigned on conspiracy charge in fourth husband's shooting death
-
What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
-
Best movies of 2023: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘May December’
-
Attention all Barbz: Nicki Minaj has released ‘Pink Friday 2,’ 13 years after the original
-
Paris Hilton’s Ex-Fiancé Chris Zylka Shares the Reason They Broke Up