A helicopter of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) fell to the ground this Tuesday in a sector of the city of Barquisimeto, in which two deceased soldiers and two others were injured, the president reported on Tuesday. Nicholas Maduro.
Military helicopter falls in Barquisimeto
Initially, the accident was confirmed by the mayor of Barquisimeto, Luis Jonás Reyes, through his Twitter account.
“At this moment we confirm the fall of a helicopter belonging to our glorious Bolivarian Armed Forces in Pavia, Barquisimeto. Two of its crew members were rescued and I await confirmation from two other members who were allegedly on the aircraft. This was initially indicated by the mayor.
Hours later, Maduro confirmed the death of two soldiers who were traveling in the helicopter. The two wounded who are in hospital, “fighting for their lives.”
“Today we had a sad and unfortunate accident in Lara state, involving an M17 helicopter with two deaths and two pilots who are fighting for their lives.” This was expressed by Maduro in an act broadcast by VTV.
He also explained that the aircraft left from Yaracuy state and was headed to Zulia to fulfill a mission. He added that he had previously been to Apure, without offering details regarding these “missions.”
Maduro also thanked the residents of the area where the helicopter fell. These helped in the rescue and transfer of the officials to the health center, with which “they were able to save two lives.”
Twitter users shared images and videos of the moment the aircraft fell; as well as the help provided by inhabitants of the area, together with officials from the Bolivarian National Guard and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB), transferring two soldiers to the nearest hospital.
military aircraft accidents
On January 4, the NGO Control Ciudadano reported that between 2001 and 2021 there have been 83 accidents with military aircraft of the country’s Armed Forces, which left a total of 169 dead and 55 injured between civilians and military.
«The period covered by the report shows an average of four annual accidents that have been occurring with aircraft of the Armed Forces. Data that represents a high incidence of air accidents with victims, which should be crossed with the information on flight hours to determine the scope and seriousness of the situation, ”explained the NGO in a report published on its website.
Likewise, he explained that of the total number of accidents reported, there were 30 helicopter accidents with 98 deaths, 25 in military transport aircraft with 57 deaths, 16 with combat planes with 8 deaths and 12 in training planes with 6 deaths.
Control Ciudadano maintained that the opacity in the handling of this information by the Venezuelan military forces has been a “constant.”
“There is no accountability, auditability and transparency in the planning, execution and evaluation of the State’s policy on security and national defense and accidents with military aircraft do not escape this pattern,” he added.
The NGO said that as of 2013 there was a decrease in this type of accident, which “coincides with the beginning of the economic crisis in Venezuela, which might mean a decrease in the operability of the National Armed Forces and its impact on accidents. of military aircraft.
He added that during 2021 three incidents with military aircraft were reported without fatalities.
#EnVivo ???? | Accident of an M-17 helicopter was registered in the state of Lara, informed Pdte.@NicolasMaduro
So far, two dead FANB officers and two wounded pilots have been reported.
“I want to convey my feelings of solidarity to the whole family,” he said. pic.twitter.com/gjD42fdvJM
— Presidential Press (@PresidentialVen) February 22, 2022
