Brazil About 10 supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido enter the Venezuelan embassy in Brasilia and confront loyalists with Maduro.

"Strangers are entering and encroaching on Venezuela's territory," said Freddy Mergote, a senior official at the Venezuelan embassy in Brazil's Brazilian capital, today sending a text for help to the Workers' party. "We need help, we need social and political parties to get involved right away."

The message was delivered by Mergote when a group of Guaido supporters were present at the Venezuelan embassy in Brazil, according to a Reuters witness. Maduro supporters also went to the embassy to protest what they called "illegal hacking". Brazilian armed police are deployed around the block.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted that the embassy was "violated by force at dawn", calling on Brazil to respect the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, Guaido's envoy to Brazil Maria Teresa Belandria said in a statement that the embassy staff had voluntarily opened the door for her and other Guaido supporters to enter. In a letter to the media, Belandria claimed to be Venezuela's "legitimate" ambassador to Brazil. The position of ambassador to Brazil of the administration of President Nicolas Maduro has been vacant since 2016.

The incident took place in the context of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro presiding over the BRICS summit (group of emerging economies) in a place close to the Venezuelan embassy.

The opposition leader Guaido, backed by the United States, called itself the interim Venezuelan president earlier this year, challenging Maduro's power. Brazil is one of dozens of countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader. Meanwhile, big BRICS countries like China and Russia sided with Maduro.