Helicopter carrying Colombia’s prez, senior officials attacked, all safe

Colombian President Ivn Duque said Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in the southern Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft.

Duque said everyone on board the helicopter was safe, including himself, Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios and the governor of Norte de Santander state, Silvano Serrano. They had just attended an event titled Peace with Legality, the Sustainable Catatumbo chapter.

I want to inform the country that after fulfilling a commitment in Sardinata, in Catatumbo approaching the city of Ccuta, the presidential helicopter was the victim of an attack, the president said in a statement.