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PDVSA: At least two dead after oil barge sinks, Venezuela

PDVSA reported on Thursday that at least two people were killed and four declared missing after an oil barge, operated by a contractor for Venezuela's state-run energy firm PDVSA, sank in Lake Maracaibo.

A report by the company indicated that four people had died in the accident on Thursday morning. PDVSA, however, said that the search for four missing persons has not been completed.

The company released a statement saying that the barge Chantase G, which was owned by SOSCA and provided oil well maintenance services in the Lake Maracaibo, had sunk due to poor weather conditions in the area.

The report stated that 19 more people were successfully rescued at the accident scene on Thursday morning.

Barges carrying Venezuelan fuel and oil between ports in Venezuela and the Caribbean are involved in more and more incidents. In March, a large fuel spill from a capsized Venezuelan barge near Tobago affected several Caribbean countries. Reporting by Mircely guanipa, Mariela Nava in Maracaibo, and Deisy Buitrago from Caracas. Editing by Marianna parraga and Leslie Adler.

(source: Reuters)