'Scared to death': US mother and daughter stuck in Puerto Rico amid Venezuela strikes

Hundreds of Caribbean flights were cancelled after the US launched a strike on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are now kept in an American prison.

President Donald Trump called the “large-scale” strike a success early Saturday morning. Trump said the United States will now run Venezuela, but the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, denied those claims.


Major airlines including Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest and American cancelled flights, WHIO TV reported.

Fairborn resident Marta Malavich said her daughter, Kelli Hall, had a ticket to come home but was stuck in Puerto Rico.

“JetBlue canceled them on Friday, the day before. No explanation,” she said.

She said her daughter quickly learned what happened.

“It was just mass chaos. (The) lady said, ‘All flights are canceled,’ and my daughter is my daughter. She just kind of said, ‘Okay, right?’ She came up, she said, ‘No, ma’am, they have on Venezuela so there are no flights in or out.’”

According to the Associated Press, JetBlue said it cancelled about 215 flights “due to airspace closures across the Caribbean related to military activity.”

Malavich said her daughter was in good spirits because she booked a flight for Wednesday.

“It was $800 each just to get back, you know, you’re gonna pay it just to get out of there,” she said.

Cedarville University International Studies Professor Dr. Glen Duerr said airlines were cancelling flights as a safety precaution.

“The obvious one is the security situation with flying vessels going into the area; there’s always the potential for miscommunication and for danger,” Duerr said.

He added that airlines would not fly unless they knew passengers were safe, and in situations like this, they looked at all possibilities.

“A rogue general, for example, could seek to strike at a US vessel off its coast,“ Duerr said.

Malavich said she was worried and wanted her daughter home.

“I’m still scared, scared to death,” she said. “She likes to travel, but more than ever, I wish she had not gone.”