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The landslide that devastated the Venezuelan town of Las Tejerías added this October 10 36 dead and 56 missing, among whom, rescuers agree, “hardly” any survivor will be found as the mud becomes more compact.
On Sunday, Las Tejerías woke up disfigured. The small mountain town of 52,000 inhabitants suffered the onslaught of the rains of recent days that transformed the river that runs through it into its worst enemy, growing up to six meters in the structures closest to the channel.
The overflowing water dragged trees, cars and pieces of houses. It is Venezuela’s worst natural disaster in decades.
“Covered by mud”
“The image is quite dramatic. Many houses were covered by mud. There are a number of houses that disappeared because they were dragged by the waters. There are 15 companies that were also razed. There are many crews from state agencies removing the rubble, helping people to remove the land and their houses,” explains Juan Mario Gualano, president of the Red Cross of the state of Aragua.
Under the rubble, rescue agencies found at least 36 people dead; 3,000 officials continue the rescue work under the quagmire. “Debris removal continues, which is quite severe. There are more than 400 houses that were destroyed and we are still looking for bodies and missing people,” says Gualano.
“Slow and complex process”
Three temporary shelters were created in nearby cities. In one of them there are up to 700 people. So far, more than 80% of the electrical service has been restored, reports the lifeguard.
For him, this Tuesday begins the most complex process: “It is a slow and complex process of reconstruction, of attention to all the consequences in the medium and long term. We are going to bring 20-liter water canisters, purification tablets, and then comes the other process of psychological care, follow-up, everything that involves supporting the communities in recovering their homes, and also giving support to all the organizations of the State”.
Two baseball stadiums were set up as collection centers to receive aid for the affected families, as well as the Caracas subway. The town of Las Tejerías is less than 70 kilometers southwest of the Venezuelan capital.
