At least six people remain missing, about twenty were injured, and dozens of homes were affected by the heavy rains that hit Caracas and the states of Miranda and Aragua, in Venezuela on Saturday.
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The precipitation, associated with the passage of tropical wave number 40, caused flooding and the overflow of rivers and streams, as well as leaving vehicles trapped, homes damaged, and various areas cut off.
In Caracas, emergency teams continue the search for a mother and her son, who were swept away by the current after a river overflowed, according to the Vice Minister for Risk Management and Civil Protection, Juan Oti.
Two other people are being searched for in the municipality of Guaicaipuro, in the state of Miranda, after the vehicle they were traveling in with their daughter fell into a ravine. The girl was rescued alive and taken to a hospital, according to Mayor Farith Fraija.
They are joined by another two missing people in the José Félix Ribas municipality, in Aragua. Both were traveling in a vehicle that was swept away by the rising river.
The emergency occurs while Venezuela still faces the consequences of the earthquakes recorded on June 24, which, according to the data provided, left 6,438 dead, more than 17,900 homeless, and estimated damages of US$19.6 billion.
In Guaicaipuro, authorities reported at least 36 homes affected after more than four hours of intense rainfall. In another area of Miranda state, a house collapsed and structural damage was recorded in other homes.
The emergency also had one of its main hotspots on the Valle-Coche highway in Caracas, where the overflow of a river left between 60 and 70 vehicles trapped.
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According to the head of the capital’s government, Nahum Fernández, the episode left approximately 20 people injured. On Sunday morning, earth debris still remained on the road due to the flooding.
Fernández also indicated that the rains concentrated in just 45 minutes a volume of water equivalent to two months, causing a rise he described as “historic” in the Valle river and the subsequent overflow of the Guaire river.
In the Libertador municipality, the Caracas Fire Department rescued at least 100 people, while another 30 homes were evacuated preventively in the Macarao parish due to the risk of new river and stream overflows.
In Las Salias, also in Miranda, authorities reported 17 landslides, the overflow of five streams, and the fall of more than 13 trees. Some areas also suffered power outages.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, ordered the activation of the Civil Protection system to attend to the affected areas and stated that the precipitation caused “significant damage” in different sectors of the capital.
For this Sunday, the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Inameh) maintained the forecast of new rains and electrical discharges in sectors of the northern coastal and central strip of the country.
The agency also projected an increase in cloudiness during the afternoon and night, accompanied by variable intensity precipitation and electrical activity. Among the mentioned areas are Zulia, Bolívar, Monagas, Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Miranda, La Guaira, and the Andes region, among others.
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