Flight chaos as US attacks Venezuela

The US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation Saturday, President Donald Trump said.

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country," Trump said in a Truth Social post.

According to Reuters, attacks by US forces knocked out electricity in part of Caracas and captured Maduro in or near one of his safe houses, rushing in so quickly he was not able to secure its steel doors, Trump told Fox News in a telephone interview. 

Maduro and his wife, Trump said, were transported to the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship in the Caribbean, ahead of their transfer to the United States, where they both face charges.

Meanwhile, US aviation authorities immediately issued emergency restrictions on commercial flights operating in or near Venezuelan airspace, citing safety risks.

According to reports, these restrictions extended to parts of the Eastern Caribbean flight corridors , forcing widespread rerouting, delays, and cancellations by major airlines.

Flight paths connecting North America and Europe to Barbados were severely impacted.

Senior Journalist Piers Morgan took to social media to share a map of the airspace affected by the crisis.

"They just shut Barbados airspace," he wrote.

However, some reports said Barbados' own airport remained open, and its national airspace wasn't fully shut.