Local residents on Saturday recalled the horror moments of the U.S. attacks on Venezuela's Fort Tiuna, a major military complex located in southern Caracas, depicting the deafening blasts and the sudden chaos that followed.
The U.S. military launched a series of airstrikes on Venezuela early on Saturday morning and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were flown out of the southern American country.
Fort Tiuna, which houses Venezuela's Ministry of Defense, was among the targets of the U.S. airstrikes. Hours after the airstrikes, billows of smoke were keeping rise from the military installation, with the air filled with a burning smell.
Residents in a neighborhood near the facility said they heard tremendous explosions during the attacks, which began around 02:00 on Saturday. Many families, anxious about further violence or instability, were seen packing their belongings and preparing to flee the area.
"It's a very scaring experience. I saw the helicopters, I saw the explosion, the fire going to the sky. And at 02:00, we were sleeping, we were sleeping normally, and we suddenly awoke and saw the people yelling, 'get out, we are invaded, we are under attack.' It was a mess, disorder. The people run, the people take their cars and go to everywhere. And the people feel scared, feared. And the people try to understand what happened, but we haven't electricity, power, telephone signal, internet, we are in a blackout," local resident Manuel Zoran recalled.
"The sound was deafening. Bombs fell on the mountains, the mountains near Fort Tiuna. It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying," said Grechy Morillo, another local resident.
"It was frightening, very frightening. I've never experienced such bombardments before. It was terrifying. The buildings were shaking. I disagree with their invasion of Venezuela. The current situation is deeply worrying," said another resident Louis.
The U.S. attacks have not only triggered concern and insecurity among local residents, but have also forced the suspension of essential daily services.
In a residential complex, Valencia was still delivering water to households. He said that many families were currently lacking water, so he must continue working to meet the community's needs.
"The U.S. attack is an assault on all Venezuelans, affecting everyone, both at the commercial and corporate levels. Today, everything has come to a standstill," said Valencia, a water deliveryman.
Venezuelans recount horror moments of US attacks on Fort Tiuna
