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Death toll rises to 36 in Venezuela landslides

Fifty-six people are missing in city of Las Tejerias following torrential rains

A resident searches for his relatives in the rubble of a house destroyed by a landslide in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, on October 9th, 2022. Photograph: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Tue Oct 11 2022 - 06:49

The death toll from landslides in Venezuela due to torrential rains over the weekend climbed to 36 people in a small city southwest of Caracas

The country’s interior ministry said 56 people were still missing in Las Tejerias, a city of about 50,000 people, with more than 300 homes destroyed and over 750 damaged.

About 1,200 rescuers responded to the scene, sending people to shelters, cleaning up the streets and restoring electricity service.

Rains on Saturday night swept large tree trunks and debris from surrounding mountains into Las Tejerias, 67km southwest of Caracas, and damaged businesses and farmland.

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Standing in front of what was once her two-storey house, before the floods destroyed it, Jennifer Galindez waited for news of her husband, one of the people reported missing after water surged through.

The flood also killed her young granddaughter, she said. “My husband was by the window. I couldn’t help him either and the water took him away,” said Ms Galindez (46).

Venezuelan soldiers search the rubble of houses after a landslide during heavy rains in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, on October 10th, 2022. Photograph: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

“The water swept me away,” she said, adding that she eventually found refuge on a platform where there was no current.

Houses, shops and other premises in Las Tejerias were fully or partially filled with mud and other debris carried by the water. The area is currently without electricity or drinking water.

In a rare public appearance, Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro visited the area on Monday, after declaring it a disaster zone and announcing three days of national mourning on Sunday.

The presidential press account on Twitter showed him greeting residents and said the first lady travelled with him. — Agencies

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