“So far we have no indication that the Portuguese community is being affected,” said an official source.

The Portuguese embassy in Caracas and the consulates-general in Caracas and Valencia today called on the Portuguese community in Venezuela to remain “calm and at home” after the United States carried out airstrikes, particularly in the capital.

The Portuguese consulates-general in the Venezuelan capital and Valencia have made available "channels for urgent situations", including telephone contacts, email or the Whatsapp messaging platform, "reinforcing the commitment of the Portuguese state to the protection and assistance" of its citizens.

In the same press release, the authorities state that the use of these contacts is intended “exclusively for situations of proven urgency”.

Updated contacts

In addition, they recommend that nationals living in Venezuela keep their contact details up to date, “in order to guarantee effective and timely communication with the Portuguese consular services whenever necessary”.

Around 220,000 people were registered with the consular services in Venezuela in November last year, but this figure does not include Portuguese descendants, so the authorities estimate that the size of the community "is much larger". The Portuguese community in Venezuela is one of the largest in the diaspora, and the second largest in Latin America after Brazil.

What happened?

US President Donald Trump today announced a “large-scale attack” in Venezuela to capture the head of the Venezuelan state, Nicolas Maduro, who has been forcibly removed from the country.

The Caracas government denounced a "very serious military aggression" by the United States, following explosions in the capital during the night, and decreed a state of emergency.

It is still unknown where Nicolas Maduro is.