A Spanish daily reported, citing “US intelligence”, that Venzuelan President Hugo Chavez was in “critical” condition following an emergency surgery had undergone in Cuba on June 10.

A Spanish daily reported, citing “US intelligence”, that Venzuelan President Hugo Chavez was in “critical” condition following an emergency surgery had undergone in Cuba on June 10.

Chavez "is in critical condition; not on the brink of death, but critical indeed, and complicated," reported a US-based anti-Cuban Spanish daily El Nuevo Herald.

The report quoted a number of right-wing news outlets in US, Britain and Israel as saying that Chavez's daughter, Rosines, and his mother, Marisabel Rodriguez, “urgently” left Venezuela within the past 72 hours heading to Cuba in an air force plane.

On Wednesday, the Venezuelan president's brother Adan Chavez announced that President Chavez "as officially reported is recovering well."
He added that it was not clear when his younger brother would return home but noted that the Venezuelan chief executive is expected to leave Cuba within 10 to 12 days.

Chavez underwent unscheduled surgery for a pelvic abscess during his official visit to Cuba and has remained on the Caribbean island since then to recover.

Opponents of the popular president claim that Chavez may have suffered from something more serious, such as cancer.