Caracas: Seven Venezuelan military officers were killed Saturday when their helicopter crashed while heading to a state where President Nicolás Maduro appeared alongside troops, days after the opposition called in vain for a military uprising.
The Cougar helicopter hurtled into a mountain outside Caracas in the early hours of an overcast day in the capital. An investigation was underway.
The armed forces in a statement said the chopper was heading to San Carlos in Cojedes state. That’s near a military academy where Maduro appeared early Saturday to oversee training exercises following a week of intrigue that saw a small group of security forces turn against him in the failed attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaidó to overthrow the government.
On board the helicopter were two lieutenant colonels as well as five lower-ranking officers. The statement didn’t say if the chopper was part of the presidential delegation.
Also in Caracas, protester Benito Rodriguez handed over Saturday a written appeal for the military’s support, but a Venezuelan policeman burned the document and let the ashes fall to the ground. The armed forces ‘won’t be blackmailed or bought’, said a second officer standing nearby.
Rodriguez fumed as he watched the events unfold. “It’s a humiliation,” said Rodriguez, who had joined a crowd of about 150 protesters gathered near La Casona, a residence historically used by Venezuelan Presidents.
The scene highlights the uphill battle now facing opponents of Maduro who have failed to persuade the country’s security forces to join efforts to oust the leader.
The critical role of the Venezuelan military in the country’s crisis was on display as Maduro tried to portray strength by joining troops at the military academy, while Guaidó attempted to woo the armed forces to his side by urging supporters to the streets.
National television showed Maduro wearing a camouflage hat as he shook hands and exchanged fist bumps with security forces during his visit before watching troops engage in a shooting exercise. “Loyal forever,” Maduro bellowed to a crowd of cadets in green uniforms.
Guaidó, meanwhile, told backers to go to military garrisons to persuade forces to turn against Maduro, whose years in office have been marked by escalating hardship for most people in a country that was once one of the wealthiest in Latin America.