Homes damaged near Caracas after U.S. operation

Residents in Catia La Mar, near Caracas, say homes were damaged or destroyed during a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with authorities reporting an unspecified number of deaths.

Some homes in the town of Catia La Mar near Venezuela’s capital Caracas were damaged or destroyed during the U.S. military operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro, residents told Reuters on Sunday, while officials reported an unspecified number of deaths.

Jonatan Mallora, a 50 year old motorcycle taxi driver, and his neighbour Angel Alvarez, a young street vendor, said they were woken by explosions on Saturday in their community in La Guaira state, about 31 kilometres north of Caracas.

Venezuelan authorities said the U.S. hit areas in La Guaira, Caracas, and the neighbouring states of Miranda and Aragua, adding that soldiers, civilians and much of Maduro’s security team were killed. No official figures on casualties have been released.

The Romulo Gallegos neighbourhood, where Mallora and Alvarez live, was damaged during the strike on a nearby naval academy. Mallora said the roof of his apartment was destroyed, forcing him to flee with his 24 year old daughter and 22 year old son. “It’s sheer luck they didn’t kill my kids,” he said while standing amid the rubble.

Alvarez said shrapnel damaged his apartment wall and water tank, a critical resource in a country where water supplies are unreliable. He said he was relieved that his home remained standing, unlike Mallora’s. “We really didn’t know what to do,” he said, recalling the chaos after waking to the explosions. “We’re alive by a miracle.”

Copied