TEHRAN, May 05 - A Venezuelan military helicopter crashed close to Caracas on Saturday morning with seven people on board all killed, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The helicopter was to fly from Caracas, the capital, to the west-central state of Cojedes when it crashed the Defense Ministry said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.
President Nicolas Maduro was in Cojedes on Saturday to watch a series of army drills, which, in televised speeches, he said demonstrated Venezuela’s military readiness against the threat posed by the United States.
Venezuela has been in political turmoil since US-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido declared himself “interim president” late in January.
The administration of US President Donald Trump, which immediately recognized Guaido’s self-proclamation, has since been mounting economic pressure on Caracas and has repeatedly threatened to use military force to topple Maduro’s government.
Washington has also confiscated Venezuela’s US-based oil assets in an attempt to channel revenue from them to Guaido.