A Venezuelan National Guard helicopter has crashed while taking off on a counter-drug mission, killing all 10 soldiers on board. National Guard General Luis Alfredo Motta Dominguez says the helicopter was searching for a group of suspected drug traffickers in south-western Apure state.
He told state television on Saturday that the accident occurred near the town of Buena Vista on the border with Colombia. It was unclear what caused the crash on Friday afternoon. The general says the victims included three officers and seven other National Guard troops.