Sinking of Oil Barge in Lake Maracaibo

CARACAS/MARACAIBO (Reuters) – At least two people died and four were declared missing following the sinking of an oil barge operated by a contractor of Venezuelan state-run energy company PDVSA at Lake Maracaibo, according to PDVSA on Thursday.

Sources and an internal report from the company had indicated four fatalities from the accident earlier on Thursday. However, PDVSA stated that rescue efforts to locate the four missing individuals have not yet concluded.

"PDVSA reports the unfortunate sinking of barge Chantase G of company SOSCA, provider of oil well maintenance services, in Lake Maracaibo due to the poor weather conditions affecting the area," said the company in a release.

Another 19 individuals were successfully rescued on Thursday morning at the site of the accident.

Incidents involving barges transporting Venezuelan oil and fuel between domestic ports and to the Caribbean have become increasingly common. A large fuel oil spill near Tobago from a capsized barge navigating from Venezuela affected several Caribbean nations in March.