The death toll from mudslides in Venezuela due to heavy rains over the weekend climbed to 36 people in a small city southwest of Caracas, where dozens of people are still missing.
“We’re attending the most urgent issue which is search for people,” Delcy Rodriguez said on state television during a visit to Las Tejerias, a city of about 50,000 people located some 50 miles from Caracas. The updated death toll was announced by the interior ministry on Monday, which said 56 people were still missing.
More than 300 homes were destroyed and over 750 were damaged, Rodriguez said. About 1,200 rescuers responded to the scene, sending people who’d lost their homes to shelters, cleaning up the streets and restoring electricity service.
In a rare public appearance, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro visited the area on Monday, after declaring it a disaster zone and announcing three days of national mourning on Sunday. The presidential press account on Twitter showed him greeting residents and said the first lady traveled with him.
Rains swept through central and western Venezuela over the last days. Military have been deployed to conduct search and rescue operations, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said in a tweet on Sunday.
Tropical rain pummeled 120 municipalities, Maduro said on state TV this week.
