Venezuela Landslide: Death Toll Reaches 43 as Search and Rescue Operations Expand

After days of heavy rainfall, a landslide was triggered in Las Tejerias, Santos Michelena, part of Aragua State in Venezuela. The landslide buried the town in mud, rocks, fallen trees, and other debris.

Search and rescue operations are now underway. Venezuelan state media reported that the official death toll has reached 43.

According to the Associated Press, search and rescue crews have already expanded their search for any bodies buried under the mud and debris. They also extended their search perimeter to include downstream areas along the river, where several bodies were found.

Local Residents Join Search and Rescue Operations To Help Find Survivors and Bodies

With approximately 56 people from the town still missing, several local residents have joined the official government crews for the search and rescue operations.

One of them was Magaly Colmenares, who joined several firefighters as they searched her house buried by mud. They managed to find her grandson, who died in the landslide after he was probably buried alive. They took his body to a nearby health center, which had been turned into a morgue for the dead.

She told the Associated Press that her grandson was buried with a man who tried helping him and his 3-month-old sister. The grandmother is still working with the firefighters to look for his sister.

However, there were also tales of survival as the horrific landslide barreled through the town. Jose Medina, a 63-year-old resident of Las Tejerias, managed to save his family when he turned his refrigerator sideways, opened its door, and used it as a lifeboat for his granddaughter. He and his wife held on to the fridge and pinned it to a table, preventing them from being washed away by strong currents.

Medina told NPR that it was a "miracle." However, he said that he was also sad as the landslide and floods also destroyed his home, and he lost almost all his belongings.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stated they still have not given up hope of finding survivors. She told the media that, "We are still hoping to find people that can be saved."

According to Venezuelan authorities, at least 317 homes in Las Tejerias were wiped out by the landslide, with another 750 homes damaged. Many said the evacuations were too late, as residents only had minutes to leave their homes when the landslide struck last Saturday.

Government Blamed for Neglect After Town Was Leveled by a Landslide

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said that the tragedy was caused due to the effects of climate change. However, Venezuelan hydrometeorological engineer and retired professor Valdemar Andrade blamed the government for the tragedy.

Andrade stated that the "lack of investment in the country's water infrastructure and in key tools to help track rain information" was to blame for the devastating deaths that resulted from the landslide.

The Washington Post noted that former President Hugo Chavez stopped collecting rainfall information through a national network of this kind when he took over. This type of data is often used by countries to measure precipitation, which also helps engineers to design, modernize and maintain bridges, reservoirs, and other infrastructure.

Another government critic, Juan Carlos Sanchez, a former Venezuelan environmentalist, stated that the government should do a better job of alerting communities that are the likeliest affected by these disasters, especially now with the effects of climate change.

READ MORE: Colombia Mudslides Kill 5, Including 3 Children in Rural Elementary School

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Death toll rises after landslide in Venezuela - Associated Press