US to repatriate survivors of ‘drug-carrying submarine’ strike, Trump says

President Donald Trump said the US would return two people who survived an attack on what he called a “drug-carrying submarine” to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia.

Writing on social media, Trump said two other people were killed in the U.S. strike on the ship, which he said U.S. intelligence said was “loaded primarily with fentanyl and other illegal drugs.”

The attack on Thursday is at least the sixth US strike on ships in the Caribbean in recent weeks. This is the first time survivors have been reported.

On Saturday night, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the strike on X, accusing the US of committing “murder” and violating the country’s sovereignty.

“The Colombian boat was drifting and there was a distress call due to engine failure. We await an explanation from the US government,” Petro wrote.

He also denied that the ship was involved in drug trafficking.

In an earlier post, Petro confirmed that Colombia had taken in one of the survivors of the attack: “We are happy that he is alive and will be processed in accordance with the law.”

At least 27 people were killed in the previous five boat strikes in waters off Venezuela, according to figures released by the US administration.

The two survivors were rescued by a U.S. military helicopter and then put on a U.S. warship in the Caribbean, unnamed U.S. officials previously told U.S. media.

In recent weeks, Trump has stepped up threats against Venezuela’s leadership over allegations that the country is sending drugs to the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused Trump of trying to turn the South American nation into an “American colony.”

Trump has defended the ongoing boat attacks, saying they are aimed at stemming the flow of drugs from Latin America to the US, but his government has not provided evidence or details about the identities of the vessels or those on board.

“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG SUBMARINE that was headed for the United States on a well-known transit route for drug trafficking,” Trump said in his Truth Social post on Saturday.

“The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.”

He added that no US military personnel were injured in the attack.

On Friday, the US president said the submarine targeted in the latest attack was “specifically built to transport massive quantities of drugs”.

“This was not an innocent group of people. I don’t know too many people who have submarines, and this was an attack on a drug-laden submarine,” he added.

UN-appointed human rights experts described the US strikes as “extrajudicial executions”.

Trump earlier told reporters that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and that he was considering launching attacks on Venezuelan soil.

Drug submarines have become a popular way to transport drugs because they can go largely undetected and can be sunk after delivery. They are often homemade and made of fiberglass and plywood.

The US, as well as other littoral nations, have previously intercepted some of these submarines.