There is no longer any hope of finding survivors. The landslide that occurred on Saturday in Las Tejerias, Venezuela, left “hundreds” dead according to authorities.
Forty-three bodies were found and “there is still a significant number of missing persons: 56 missing persons. We are reaching almost a hundred victims who have died in this tragedy, this natural disaster,” Venezuelan President Nicoals Maduro told state television VTV. The previous toll reported 36 dead and 56 missing. A three-day national mourning was declared on Sunday.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said much of the city now had power again and telephone communications were restored.
Some 3,000 rescuers continued the search on Tuesday at the site of the mudslide but were under no illusions. It will be “difficult” to find people still alive, confided to AFP, on condition of anonymity, a member of Civil Protection.
La Niña Phenomenon
Venezuela experienced an unusual rainy season, which lasted almost the entire year due to the La Niña phenomenon. September was a record month for rainfall and in recent days torrential rains, attributed in part to the passage of Hurricane Julia further north, have battered the country. In the past three weeks, 13 people have died elsewhere in the country due to floods or landslides.
In Las Tejerias, “it rained in eight hours what it rains in a month,” said the vice-president on Sunday. The river, whose level rose more than six meters, swept away everything in its path: trees, rocks, cars, lampposts, telephone pylons and entire sections of houses, many of which were built in risk areas. The city of 50,000 inhabitants spills over the sides of the mountains.
The Las Tejerias landslide is Venezuela’s worst natural disaster since the turn of the century. In 1999, a major landslide in the state of Vargas, in the north of the country, killed some 10,000 people.
The authorities have set up accommodation for victims in Maracay, capital of Aragua, the state where Las Tejerias is located, and have announced the distribution of 300 tons of food. Collection centers have also been set up across the country to collect donations.