Landslide in Venezuela kills at least three people

Another landslide that washed away cars, trees, and enormous rocks in its path has killed at least three people in northern Venezuela.

The landslide at El Castano, a neighbourhood in Maracay, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, was brought on by heavy rain and flooding, and it occurred roughly a week after a similar incident in which more than 50 people perished in a town in the country's centre.

“I am informed that there are three dead in El Castano; it was a mudslide that came from the mountain,” President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday.

Locals posted videos of cars, large rocks, trees, and other objects being dragged by the mud and water torrent that damaged more than 50 homes.

Responders cleared mud and rocks from the road throughout the night while using car lights to illuminate the work locations because the area was without electricity.

The 56-year-old Jose Dos Santos claimed to have taken refuge on the upper level of his home with his family.

“I was looking towards the mountain, the rain was heavy. We heard a roar and then when I saw water coming in through the windows, I grabbed my folks and we climbed up,” he told the AFP news agency.

Fellow resident Nelida Rodriguez said the landslide “was horrible”.

“I’ve lived here for 70 years and have never seen this,” Rodriguez said.

A significant mudslide that struck Las Tejerias, a community in Venezuela's central Aragua state, last week was also fueled by heavy rainfall.

After the swiftly flowing mud and debris trapped many individuals throughout the town, dozens of people were killed and numerous others were reported missing.

“We have lost boys, girls,” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said last week from a flooded street in Tejerias, where he said a month’s worth of rain had fallen in just eight hours.

Last week, Maduro predicted that Tejerias could see 100 fatalities.

The president attributed the recent devastation caused by the nation's torrential rains to the climate problem on Monday.

“This is due to climate change,” Maduro said. “Rain falls above normal in a short time and makes mountains collapse … makes streams and rivers collapse.”

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