CARACAS/MARACAIBO (Reuters) -At least two people were killed and four were declared missing after the sinking of an oil vessel operated by a contractor of Venezuelan state energy company PDVSA on Lake Maracaibo, PDVSA said on Thursday.
Sources and an internal report from the company had earlier on Thursday reported four fatalities in the accident. But PDVSA said rescue work to find the four missing people has not yet been completed.
“PDVSA reports the unfortunate sinking of the vessel Chantase G of company SOSCA, provider of oil well maintenance services, in Lake Maracaibo due to poor weather conditions in the area,” the company said in a press release.
Another 19 people were successfully rescued from the accident scene on Thursday morning, the report said.
Incidents involving barges transporting Venezuelan oil and fuel between domestic ports and to the Caribbean are common. A major oil spill near Tobago, caused by a capsized ship sailing from Venezuela, affected several Caribbean countries in March.
