Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed solidarity Friday with the airforce after a mysterious plane crash overnight.
“All the support and solidarity of the nation is with the Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation, to raise morale and continue the fight,” Maduro tweeted.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has also expressed “sentiments of solidarity,” stating, “Nothing will stop us!”
The Venezuelan airforce jet crashed Thursday night while perusing an unidentified aircraft in Venezuelan airspace.
“At approximately 21:07 hours of Sept. 17, 2015, an airplane Sukhoi-30 of the air force has crashed with pilots Cap. Ronald Ramirez and Cap. Jackson Garcia on board,” Padrino said in a statement.
RELATED: Venezuela-Colombia Border
The military official said that the country's defense systems were activated after an illegal aircraft was detected entering “through the northwestern region of the country toward the border line with Colombia.”
Padrino explained that the region where the plane illegally entered Venezuelan airspace is a known route for drug traffickers.
RELATED: Colombian Paramilitaries in Venezuela
“They intend to use our territory as a platform to distribute drugs produce in the neighboring country (Colombia) toward Central America and the Caribbean.”
He said an investigation has been immediately launched to determine the causes of the Venezuelan airforce plane crash.
The defense minister also said a rescue mission has been deployed to search for the pilots.