Venezuelan Village Mourns After U.S. Naval Strike on Alleged Drug Boat

The fishing village of San Juan de Unare in Venezuela is in a state of mourning after a U.S. naval strike resulted in the deaths of 11 men on a boat, allegedly carrying drugs. The incident has sparked widespread grief and solidarity on social media, particularly TikTok. Family and friends of the deceased have dismissed claims by Nicolás Maduro’s administration that the incident was staged using artificial intelligence. The boat is said to have departed on Sunday night, 1st September, and was destroyed on Monday while heading towards Trinidad and Tobago. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the vessel was destroyed as part of ongoing Caribbean naval operations aimed at curbing drug trafficking. However, this has drawn criticism from other governments such as Colombia, suggesting the focus should be on capturing, not killing suspected traffickers.