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( Spanish) — In a speech this Tuesday to the state broadcaster VTV, President Nicolás Maduro said that at least 39 people have died and 56 are missing after the landslide that occurred in the northwestern city of Las Tejerías, in the state of Aragua, in Venezuela.
In his statement, Maduro also hinted that hopes of safely rescuing the more than 50 people who remain missing are fading. “We are reaching almost 100 victims, fatalities, in this tragedy,” Maduro said, as more than three days have passed since the collapse.
Maduro announced that emergency funds have been made available to survivors, while also asking the local population for patience and saying that it will take time to reach all the families affected by the tragedy. He reported that so far, more than 800 truckloads of debris have been cleared from the city.
Monday through Twitter, Maduro, had said that he had ordered the “maximum deployment” to the Social Cabinet and the security agencies to deal with the emergency. Maduro declared three days of national mourning starting Sunday, “in solidarity with the affected families,” according to his tweet.
Rescuers and residents search through the rubble of destroyed houses for victims or survivors of a landslide during heavy rains in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, on October 9, 2022. Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Carlos Pérez, Vice Minister for Risk Management and Civil Protection, assured on Monday that more than 1,000 officials of the National Risk Management System and police officers participate in the search and rescue plan in the Santos Michelena municipality, due to the overflow of the Quebrada Los Patos after days of continuous rains.
A rescuer looks at a motorcycle dragged into a house by the landslide. Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images
For her part, the governor of Aragua, Karina Carpio, communicated on Twitter that 21 sectors in Santos Michelena were affected by heavy rainfall. She added that houses have been destroyed, trees have fallen, 15 businesses have reported damage, and the electrical system has been suspended.
Residents search for their missing relatives in the rubble of a destroyed house. Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images.
A resident searches for his missing relatives in the rubble of a house destroyed by a landslide during heavy rains in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, on October 9, 2022. Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Residents remain on top of a semi-buried vehicle as rescuers search for their missing family members. Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images
