Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 20 May 2019
Vast gasoline lines form in oil-rich Venezuela

MARACAIBO, Venezuela based subsidiary Citgo,
(AP) — U.S. sanctions on oil- depriving officials of an es-
rich Venezuela appear to timated $11 billion in hard
be taking hold, resulting in currency from exports this
mile-long lines for fuel in the year. U.S. officials say this
South American nation's cash flow long bankrolled
second-largest city, Mara- what they call Maduro's
caibo. "dictatorship."
Some drivers said they'd Sanctions also put the
had to wait almost 24 hours squeeze on Venezuela ac-
to fuel up, and people cess to diluents needed to
have been grabbing cat- thin its tar-like heavy crude
naps on the hoods of cars so it can be piped over 100
or in truck beds. miles (160 kilometers) from
Nearing empty and stuck the field to be turned into
in line, infectious diseases gasoline.
doctor Yoli Urdaneta said And the political stalemate
she couldn't make her shift shows few signs of drawing
to treat patients. near its end.
"I've spent four days trying In a recent flurry of diplo-
to get gasoline," Urdaneta matic activity aimed at
said. "But I couldn't." peacefully solving Ven-
A satellite cruising over Ma- ezuela's crisis, European
racaibo on Thursday cap- officials said they held in-
tured pictures of cars lined tensive meetings over two
up for a mile (1.6 kilome- days in Caracas with key
ters) through the city to the players.
pumps, according to by People line the street with their vehicles as they wait to fill up with gas at a fuel station, top right, in At about the same time,
Maxar Technologies, a U.S.- Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, May 15, 2019. Maduro's government and
based space technology Associated Press the opposition sent repre-
company. sentatives to talks in Nor-
Russ Dallen, a Miami-based way. Officials engaged in
partner at the brokerage both efforts reported no
4 Americans, 1 Canadian die in firm Caracas Capital Mar- breakthroughs.
kets, said Sunday that stiff The panic over shortages
small plane crash in Honduras U.S. sanctions on top of de- has crept into the capital,
caying refineries has begun Caracas, leading to mod-
to hit home. erately long lines for the
Venezuela doesn't have last three days at many
with police divers and fire- the cash to import key in- stations. Across the country
men recovered four bodies gredients to keep up pro- in Maracaibo, angry driv-
within minutes of the crash, duction in a country with ers lined up complaining
and transported another to the world's largest oil re- that police were profiting
a hospital, where he died serves, said Dallen, who es- off their frustrations. Driv-
shortly after of internal inju- timated that the state run ers said officers overseeing
ries. oil-firm PDVSA is producing the lines allowed some to
The U.S. State Department 10 to 15% of its capacity. pay the equivalent of $3.60
also confirmed the deaths "It's all coming together into — more than half of the
of four U.S. citizens and a toxic brew," Dallen said. monthly minimum wage
Global Affairs Canada "That is really having a dev- — to cut into a shorter line
confirmed that a Canadi- astating effect." while others waited to fill up
an also had died. They did The Trump administration their tank with subsidized
not release names. this year sanctioned PDVSA fuel that costs less than a
Honduran authorities iden- in an effort aimed at driving penny.
tified the pilot as Patrick President Nicolás Maduro José Eustaquio Pérez, 65,
Forseth, a Canadian na-
In this photo released by the Honduras Fire Department, fire- tional who developed tour- from office, while throwing said he took the offer.
fighters and men work at the crash site of a plane that fell into its support behind opposi- "I'm too old and I'm not in
the Atlantic in Roatan, Bay Island, Honduras, Saturday, May 18, ism projects in the Trujillo tion leader Juan Guadó. the mood to wait in this
2019. Bay area. The U.S. sanctions essen- long line," he said. "I don't
Associated Press Forseth was involved in a le- tially cut off Maduro's gov- feel good, so I paid it to get
gal dispute with Afro-indig- ernment from its Houston- out of here."q
By FREDDY CUEVAS firmed the nationalities of enous Hondurans who ac-
Associated Press those who died in Satur- cused him of trying to de-
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras day's crash. velop their ancestral lands
(AP) — Four Americans The Piper Cherokee Six into vacation properties for
and a Canadian pilot were plummeted into the At- international tourists. Fors-
killed when a small plane lantic shortly after takeoff eth defended his company
went down off the coast of from the popular tourist in a 2017 statement, saying
Roatan island in Honduras, destination of Roatan en it had purchased the land
officials said Sunday. route to the port of Trujillo. in 2013 and had made sev-
Armed Forces spokesman The military said in a state- eral attempts to reach an /arubatoday/
Jose Domingo Meza con- ment that rescue boats amicable resolution.q