CARACAS: At least two people died and four others are missing after a service barge used in the maintenance of oil wells sank in Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela's Zulia state.
The state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) informed about the incident on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a statement, the firm said that the incident was caused by "bad weather conditions that affected the area at the time of the accident, " and said the barge named "Chantase G" belongs to SOSCA, the firm currently providing oil well maintenance services.
"Search and rescue work continues in conjunction with public safety organisations, " the company said, adding a PDVSA High-Level Investigation Committee will look into the matter to definitively determine the causes of the accident and support will be provided to the relatives of the victims.
The state-run company offered its condolences to the families of the deceased.