CARACAS: At least 22 people are dead and 52 are missing after heavy rains flooded five small rivers in central Venezuela, Venezuelan Vice President Delsey Rodriguez said on Sunday.
In a televised address, Rodriguez said in a televised address that Saturday night’s rain sent large tree trunks and debris from the surrounding mountains into the community of Tijeria, 40 miles (67 km) southwest, damaging businesses and farms. reached.
He said pumps used to power the community’s drinking water system were washed away by floodwaters.
RodrÃguez said the priority was to find people still trapped under mud and rocks throughout the town, while military and rescue personnel also searched for survivors on the banks of the river.
“We’ve lost boys, girls,” the vice president said from a flooded street in Tijeria. “What happened in the town of Tijerias is a tragedy.”
The state television channel broadcast images of muddy streets littered with tree branches and large rocks.
One of the flooded rivers, El Pato, washed away several houses, shops and a slaughterhouse, according to search and rescue officials.
Carlos Perez, the country’s deputy minister of the civil protection system, said in a tweet on Sunday that 1,000 aid workers were searching for victims in the area.
Three other central states also experienced landslides due to rain on Sunday morning, Rodriguez said, but claimed no casualties.
The death toll has risen to at least 40 in recent weeks due to heavy rains caused by the La Nina weather pattern. Venezuela is facing floods and landslides.
