A landslide caused by flooding and days of torrential rain has swept through a town in central Venezuela, killing at least 22 people.
More than 50 people are also missing after the banks of five small rivers burst, following the relentless rain.
The cascade water along with precipitation from the surrounding mountains drags mud, rocks, debris and large trees through the neighboring areas.
Venezuela‘S Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said one of the hardest hit areas was the community of Tejerias, 40 miles (67 km) southwest of Caracas, where businesses and farmland were also damaged.
The pumps used to power the community’s drinking water system, she said, were swept up in the floodwaters.
Devastation in Las Tejerias. Pic: Associated Press
Neighbors in town comfort each other. Pic: Associated Press
The death toll brings the total number of people killed in recent weeks to at least 40 due to heavy rain caused by La Nina weather pattern.
The priority now is to locate those still trapped in mud and rocks across town, while the military and rescue workers also search for survivors on the riverbanks.
“We have lost boys and girls,” the vice president said from a flooded street in Tejerias, adding: “What happened in the town of Tejerias is a tragedy.”
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Homes in Caracas in danger as high ground gives way after recent prolonged rains
State television broadcast images of muddy roads filled with tangled branches and large rocks.
According to search and rescue authorities, one of the rivers flooded, the El Pato, washed away several homes and shops.
Carlos Perez, the country’s deputy minister in charge of the civil protection system, said in a tweet that more than 1,000 rescuers were searching for victims in the area.
Ms. Rodriguez said the downpour also caused landslides in three other Central states on Sunday, but there were no victims.
