Venezuela, Venezuelan Vice President Delsey Rodriguez said heavy rains had flooded five small rivers in central Venezuela. In a televised address, Rodriguez said Saturday night rains swept down large tree trunks and debris from the mountains, damaging businesses and farms.
Rodriguez said efforts were underway across the city to find people still trapped in the mud and under the mountains. While the army and rescue workers also conducted a search for survivors on the banks of the river. The vice president said that what happened in the city of Tejerias was a tragedy.
Carlos Perez, the country’s deputy minister for the civil protection system, said in a tweet on Sunday that a thousand rescuers were searching the area for victims.
Rodriguez said the rain also triggered landslides in three other central states on Sunday morning, but did not claim any casualties. The death toll has risen to at least 40 in recent weeks due to heavy rains caused by the La Nina pattern. Venezuela has faced floods and landslides.HS1MS