(Information obtained from the official statement of the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense)
A Venezuelan military aircraft tragically crashed during a humanitarian mission in the Amazon rainforest, resulting in seven fatalities and three injuries. The Cessna Grand Caravan C-208B (registration AMB-4292) from Group Air Transport No. 9 went down near La Reforma in the Atures municipality of Amazonas state, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 8:30 AM.
The incident occurred in the Cucurtial sector, approximately 14 kilometers east of the “Cacique Aramare” Airport, at coordinates 05°35’59” North and 67°28’05” West.
The aircraft was transporting members of the Yanomami indigenous community to Parima B and intended to return with electoral materials for the 2025 Municipal Elections from the National Electoral Council.
Among the deceased are co-pilot Captain Luis Alberto Durán Caripa and six indigenous civilians whose identities have not been disclosed. Among the three survivors rescued are Pilot Major Yonkers Atahualpa Salimey Rujano and Chief Engineer Lieutenant Valerie Julbet Valentine/Vera, who are currently receiving medical attention.
The Bolivarian National Armed Forces immediately deployed rescue operations after losing radar contact. President Nicolás Maduro has ordered an investigation into the causes of the accident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board, as confirmed by the Minister of Defense, General in Chief Vladímir Padrino López, who signed the official statement describing the incident as “a loss that casts a shadow over the soul of the armed institution.”
The bodies of the victims will be evacuated promptly while investigations continue to determine the causes of the crash.
In the past three years, there have been three air accidents involving GAT No. 9: a total of 12 fatalities. This incident follows the crash on November 6, 2022, when another Cessna 208B (AMB-0956) fell during a training exercise near its base in Puerto Ayacucho, claiming the lives of five officers.
Previously, on August 2, 2022, a Cessna T206H (AMB-1257) survived a forced landing in Alto Orinoco without any fatalities. All cases, concentrated in the Amazon jungle, are still officially “under investigation” with no public reports.