25 Dead, 52 Missing: Heavy Rains Caused Five Rivers to Flood Parts of Venezuela

Five rivers in central Venezuela flooded as a result of the heavy rains, leaving at least 25 people dead and 52 people missing, Citizen Security Vice President Remigio Ceballos stated in a televised address on Sunday evening.

According to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez earlier in the day, the rain on Saturday night swept big tree trunks and debris from nearby mountains into the Tejerias community, causing damage to businesses and farmland. Tejerias is located 67 kilometers southwest of Caracas.

A Month's Rain in Eight Hours

In just eight hours, according to Rodriguez, a month's worth of rain fell, and the pumps that run the drinking water system for the community were swept away by the floodwaters.

In addition to searching the riverbanks for survivors, military and rescue personnel, according to Rodriguez, were given the priority of locating people who were still buried under rocks and mud throughout the town.

From a Tejerias street that had been inundated, the vice president declared that they had lost and that what had occurred was a tragedy.

In a tweet, President Nicolas Maduro announced that the region had been declared a disaster area and that three days of mourning had been observed.

Survivors

According to witnesses, the streets of Tejerias, a town of around 73,000 people, were lined with boarded-up homes and covered in mud, large rocks, and tangled tree branches.

Taxi driver Armando Escalona, 43, claimed that he and his family were unexpectedly caught off guard by the flood waters while they were attending a church service. He stated that after giving his family a brief hug, he was hit in the head by an unknown object and lost consciousness. When he awoke, his family was nowhere to be found.

Escalona claimed he lost his wife and also his 5-year-old son and was incapable of speaking properly. When the flood occurred, they were present at the service. Escalona said that everything happened so quickly.

The 58-year-old vendor and volunteer for the civil defense corps, Gustavo Arevalo, reported that the town's telephone antenna was destroyed when the waters rose rapidly on Saturday around 6 PM ET.

Arevalo said it seemed like the dam's water had been let loose. Arevalo was in one of the areas of the town that was most severely affected when it occurred.

When the flood receded, he attempted to aid others and retrieve what the flood left of their businesses.

Read also: Julia Slams Central America, Causing Flooding Rainfall and Strong Winds 

Flooded Rivers, Downpours, Landslides, Deaths

Authorities in charge of search and rescue claim that the El Pato, one of the flooded rivers, washed away several residences, businesses, and a butcher shop.

In a tweet dated Sunday, Carlos Perez, the country's deputy minister for civil protection, stated that 1,000 rescuers were searching the area for victims.

According to Rodriguez, the rainfall also aggravated landslides in at least three other central states on the morning of Sunday, but no one was hurt.

The recent deaths bring the total number of people killed in recent weeks as a result of heavy rains brought on by the weather pattern of La Nina to at least 40. Landslides and flooding have occurred in Venezuela, Reurters reports.

Related article: Heavy Rain Eases While Flood Risk Remains in Multiple Areas Across New South Wales [BoM]