At least two people died, and four others are missing after an oil barge operated by a contractor for Venezuela’s state-owned energy company PDVSA sank in Lake Maracaibo, PDVSA announced on Thursday. Earlier reports from company sources suggested four fatalities, but rescue efforts to locate the missing individuals are still ongoing.
PDVSA stated that the barge, named Chantase G and operated by SOSCA, which provides oil well maintenance services, sank due to poor weather conditions. Nineteen people were rescued on Thursday morning at the scene of the accident.
Incidents involving barges transporting Venezuelan oil and fuel have become increasingly common. In March, a large fuel oil spill from a capsized barge near Tobago impacted several Caribbean nations.
