A landslide and flooding near the city of Las Tejerías in Venezuela have killed at least 25 people, Reuters news agency reported. 52 people are still missing and it is feared that the death toll will rise further. Five small rivers have been flooded.
Saturday night’s heavy rainfall caused landslide and flooding wreaked havoc in Las Tejerías, home to some 73,000 residents. Residents barely had time to get themselves to safety, eyewitnesses told Reuters. The streets are full of mud and dragged trees and stones.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said businesses, homes and farmland were damaged. “We have lost boys and girls,” she said from a flooded street in Las Tejerías. “What happened in the city of Las Tejerías is a tragedy.”
National mourning
President Nicolás Maduro has declared three days of national mourning for the victims. He has also declared the region about 70 kilometers southwest of the capital Caracas a disaster area and sent thousands of rescue workers there.
NicolasMaduro Nicolas Maduro Debido a la grave situación producto del deslave de gran magnitud causado por las lluvias, decreté en las comunidades que conforman Las Tejerías, Zona de Desastre y Catástrofe Natural, y 3 días de duelo nacional a partir de hoy #9octand solidaridad con las familias afectadas. https://t.co/Mb858C6EsQ October 9, 2022 @ 8:26 PM
There were also landslides in three other centrally located Venezuelan states on Sunday morning, but as far as is known there were no casualties.