Venezuelan government demands probe into killing of infant by T&T coast guards

The Venezuelan government asked Trinidad and Tobago to initiate a probe after a baby was shot dead by Coastal Guards in the Caribbean waters.

The incident occurred on Saturday when coast guard officers tried to shoot the vessel's engines after ordering the vessel to stop. The Trinidad and Tobago authorities described it a "security operation" involving human traffickers.

The coastguard stated in a news release that the shooting was done in "self-defence" to avoid a boat ramming.

According to Trinidadian officials, the baby, identified as Yaelvis Santoyo Sarabia, died in the arms of his mother, Darielvis Sarabia. Sarabia was shot in the leg and was transferred to the hospital in a stable condition.

Caracas demanded an investigation "to clarify the circumstances surrounding this terrible tragedy" on Monday.

The yacht was travelling along a popular path for Venezuelans escaping their impoverished homeland, according to Trinidadian authorities.

Venezuela has been engulfed in social and economic crisis exacerbated by foreign sanctions, issued after President Nicolas Maduro won a second term in 2018 elections that were deemed illegal by the Organization of American States (OAS), the US, and the European Union.

More than six million Venezuelans have left the nation in recent years, according to the UN, accounting for more than 10% of the population. In Trinidad and Tobago, there are at least 40,000 Venezuelans.