At least 22 dead, dozens missing in Venezuela landslide
- A landslide fuelled by flooding and days of torrential rain swept through a town in central Venezuela
- Dozens of people dead and missing after as dragged mud, rocks and trees through neighbourhoods
A landslide in central Venezuela left at least 22 people dead and more than 50 missing after a river overflowed, officials said Sunday, in the latest deadly disaster caused by heavy rains to hit the country.
Dozens of people have died in recent months in the crisis-hit South American nation as a result of historically high precipitation.
“We are seeing very significant damage here, human losses: so far, we have already found 22 dead, there are more than 52 people missing,” Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez told local media at the scene in the town of Las Tejerias. “We are working to find these people.”
Houses and businesses were destroyed and felled trees littered the town’s streets, which were covered with mud and debris, including splintered wood, household items and mangled cars.
“The village is lost. Las Tejerias is lost,” 55-year-old resident Carmen Melendez, who has lived her whole life in the town 50km (30 miles) from the capital, Caracas, in Aragua state, said.
Around a thousand people had joined the rescue efforts, Interior and Justice Minister Remigio Ceballos said, as he also worked at the site.