At least 25 people have died and 52 are missing as torrential rain hits the Latin American country.
By Malu Cursino & Vanessa BuschschlüterAt least 25 people have been killed and more than 50 are still missing after landslides swept away their homes in the Venezuelan town of Las Tejerías."We're trying to save whoever we can and are expressing our condolences to all those who have lost a loved one," Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez said.Among those killed are two toddlers, local media said.
Torrential rainfall caused the river El Pato to burst its banks. The resulting floodwaters swept away, trees, cars, houses and shops in the town, some 50km south-west of the capital, Caracas.Image caption,One man told AFP he had survived by clinging on to an antenna for 40 minutes while his home and others were swept away. "The river caught me and I couldn't find anything to do besides climb a roof and grab on to an antenna," the 65-year-old said.
Carmen Meléndez, who has lived in the town her whole life, said: "The village is lost. Las Tejerías is lost."According to Efe news agency, the electricity supply to the town has been cut, leaving it in darkness. Residents dug through the cloying mud by hand to try to find survivors. They were joined by sniffer dogs and specialised search teams.
Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos said the landslides had been caused by Hurricane Julia, which passed just north of Venezuela.More on this story
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