Support Us
Firefighter holding a rescued child covered in a poncho in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, Sunday, October 9, 2022. Photo: Venezuelan Vice President's Office.
NewsOT SpecialsSecurity and Defense

Las Tejerías Landslide Tragedy: 22 Deaths and 58 Missing, 3 Days of Mourning in Venezuela (Photos & Videos)

By Orinoco Tribune
Firefighter holding a rescued child covered in a poncho in Las Tejerias, Aragua state, Venezuela, Sunday, October 9, 2022. Photo: Venezuelan Vice President's Office.

This Sunday, October 9, President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro reported through his Twitter account that “Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, the social cabinet, and all security agencies, [are at] maximum deployment for the comprehensive care of the people. They are not alone.” The announcement was made after “the difficult and painful situation caused by heavy rains in Las Tejerías,” in Aragua state.

More than a thousand men and women from the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB), firefighters, civil protection, and police forces were deployed to serve communities in Las Tejerías, after Saturday’s tragedy that was the result of torrential rains affecting Venezuela for several weeks, reported Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos.

More than 120 Municipalities in Venezuela Affected by Heavy Rains

Vice President Rodríguez, who has been in the area since early Saturday morning leading the emergency response, said that, “we are serving the people who were left homeless or whose homes were affected by the landslide.”

Later in the afternoon, Rodríguez tweeted again, providing details about the tragic outcome of the landslide that occurred after several days of heavy rain all over the country. She wrote: “So far we have found 22 dead, and more than 52 are reported missing. We are working on a search and rescue effort.”

Earlier, the governor of Aragua state, Karina Carpio, highlighted on Twitter that all prevention, security, and defense agencies have been deployed in aid and protection actions in the area.

Emergency and disaster coordination center
Ceballos announced the activation of the Center for Control and Coordination of Emergencies and Disasters to serve the population affected by the overflow of five waterways in the area.

“We are going with a well-defined search plan in all sectors,” Ceballos said, commenting that canines and drones are being used to optimize the search and rescue of local residents that might be still be unaccounted for.

Likewise, he pointed out that three shelters and a collection center were activated to guarantee food, medicine, equipment, and medical attention to all those affected by the tragedy.

Alert Risk Management System
The Risk Management System was activated to attend to and monitor the emergencies that have occurred throughout the national territory, after the heavy rains recorded in recent days.

Tropical Wave No. 41 Still Affecting Several States in Venezuela with Heavy Rains

The information was released by Minister Ceballos, who through his Twitter account stressed that the Risk Management System is “attending to and monitoring emergencies caused by the torrential rains recorded.”

He explained that this Saturday, “a trough formed rapidly in the north of Venezuela, over the Caribbean; further reinforcing the rainy conditions in much of the country.”

Three days of mourning
President Maduro announced three days of mourning for the tragedy in Las Tejerías.

This was reported earlier by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who indicated that so far they have recovered 22 bodies, including those of children, and more than 52 residents of the area are still missing.

Dramatic videos
On Sunday morning, dramatic videos were posted on Twitter showing the strength and consequences of the natural disaster that affected the area in the central north region of Venezuela. We share some of them with you below:

https://twitter.com/madeleintlSUR/status/1579284575498358784

https://twitter.com/cover_up8d/status/1579224954562039808

 

Orinoco Tribune special by staff

OT/JRE/DD

 

 

Website |  + posts
Share this story