The death toll from the U.S. military's operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, 64, has reached more than 80.
On the 4th (local time), according to Reuters and others, Venezuelan Minister of the Ministry of National Defense Vladimir Padrino said in a broadcast address to the nation that "this crime was carried out after most of his security team, who are soldiers, and innocent civilians were cold-bloodedly killed yesterday," but did not disclose the exact number of casualties.
However, the New York Times (NYT), citing a statement from a senior Venezuelan official, said that "the number of soldiers and civilians killed related to the U.S. raid has increased to more than 80." According to the report, a Venezuelan official said some of the dead were Cuban and that the tally could rise.
The U.S. military the previous day deployed Delta Force, the Army's most elite special operations unit, to raid a safe house and arrest President Maduro. The U.S. military carried out airstrikes on Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as well as Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira states, and in the process an apartment building in Catia La Mar, a low-income residential area on the west coast of Caracas airport, was included, leaving some residents dead or seriously injured.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a media interview the previous day that there were no U.S. military deaths in the operation and that "many Cubans lost their lives" during the arrest of President Maduro. "They were protecting Maduro," he said.