Current:Home > reviewsHelicopter with 5 senior military officials from Guyana goes missing near border with Venezuela -FinTechWorld
Helicopter with 5 senior military officials from Guyana goes missing near border with Venezuela
View
Date:2025-04-27 11:49:55
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! (6)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Feds investigating power steering issue on older Ram 1500 pickups
- July was the globe's hottest month on record, and the 11th warmest July on record in US
- Wayne Brady reveals he is pansexual
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- 3 men charged with assault in Montgomery, Alabama, boating brawl that went viral
- How pop culture framed the crack epidemic
- Students blocked from campus when COVID hit want money back. Some are actually getting refunds.
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Maryland detectives plead for video and images taken near popular trail after body found believed to be missing mother Rachel Morin
Ranking
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- The Book Report: Washington Post critic Ron Charles (August 6)
- Cameron Diaz, Tiffany Haddish and Zoe Saldana Have a Girls' Night Out at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
- Why Americans plan to take Social Security earlier, and even leave retirement money behind
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and save up to $300 with this last-chance deal
- NCAA denies hardship waiver for Florida State's Darrell Jackson, who transferred for ailing mom
- Lapchick lauds NBA’s hiring practices, initiatives in annual TIDES diversity report
Recommendation
2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
Bike theft momentarily interrupted by golden retriever demanding belly rubs
More than 40,000 Americans are genetically related to 27 enslaved people excavated from Maryland
Is it election season? Pakistan leader moves to disband parliament, his jailed nemesis seeks release
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Celebrating Auburn fans can once again heave toilet paper into Toomer’s Oaks
West Virginia approves more pay for corrections workers as lawsuit is filed over conditions
Chris Noth Admits He Strayed From His Wife While Denying Sexual Assault Allegations