Chileans repatriated from crisis-hit Venezuela
490 views · Published 2 December 2018 · 1:43 · Indexed 20 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(27 Nov 2018) Nearly a hundred Chileans and their families arrived in Santiago on Tuesday after being repatriated from Venezuela due to the crisis facing the once-wealthy oil-nation. The men, women and children were transported on a Chilean air force plane as part of a government-sponsored programme started in 2015 that helps Chileans who find themselves in vulnerable situations anywhere in the world return home free of charge. The repatriation was coordinated with the government of Venezuela. Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero did not rule out a second flight to Caracas to bring another hundred Chileans to be repatriated. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera greeted the returnees and shook their hands as they stepped from the plane. The group, who boarded the aircraft in Caracas, was made up of 88 Chilean nationals and 11 of their Venezuelan relatives. Venezuela has been in the grips of an economic crisis for at least five years under two decades of socialist rule. Masses are migrating from the country, while millions staying behind struggle to afford scarce food and medicine. Many of the repatriated have been living outside of Chile for 30, 40 or even 50 years, with some having left the country after the bloody military coup in September 1973. The repatriated Chileans said they were returning voluntarily and that they lacked the money to do so on their own. Official estimates indicate that there are about 14,000 Chileans living in Venezuela, the fifth country of destination for local migration. It is estimated that some 3 million Venezuelans have abandoned their nation. Inflation in Venezuela could top one million per cent by year's end as the country's historic crisis deepens. In recent years, its oil production has also plummeted to its lowest level in seven decades. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ccff9745122f0fbd21e738544236067b
