Venezuelan Vice President demands proof Maduro still alive

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has demanded that the United States provide proof that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are alive.

In a telephone address broadcast on Venezuela’s state television channel, Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Rodríguez said that the whereabouts of Maduro and the first lady are currently unknown.

Her remarks followed a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media claiming that the United States had captured Maduro and flown him out of Venezuela.

“In the face of this brutal situation and this violent attack, we do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We demand that the government of President Donald Trump immediately confirm that President Maduro and the first lady are alive,” Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez also condemned the attack on Venezuela, stating that officials, soldiers, and civilians had been killed.

An official casualty count has not yet been released.