The death toll rose to 43 on Saturday after a landslide in Las Tejerías, a town in central Venezuela. Officials reported the increase on Tuesday, with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez presenting the latest figures from the flood-affected area. During a televised briefing, the authorities updated the total deaths while President Nicolás Maduro was meeting with ministers in Caracas. Maduro noted that the death toll was approaching one hundred, and he confirmed 56 people were missing. He added that the missing individuals were sought by relatives and rescue teams operating in the region. A financial bonus was announced for residents of Las Tejerías, a town about 70 kilometers from Caracas where 23 industries and roughly 10,000 families were affected, and around a thousand homes were lost.
Maduro spoke yesterday during his Las Tejerías tour, saying that more than 60 residents were reported missing due to flooding of streams in this small city in Aragua state. The area has been declared a disaster zone and a natural disaster area by the government. Two shelters near the affected zone have opened their doors to displaced people, and additional groups are being accommodated in other states within a travel radius of up to 400 kilometers.
Rodríguez provided an update on the ongoing cleanup efforts, noting progress in debris removal and in restoring water and electricity supplies. She emphasized that work would continue in the coming days. “Search operations for the missing remain active; relatives are staying close by,” she said.
Over the past three weeks, heavy rainfall across Venezuela triggered widespread floods and landslides, leaving thousands homeless and claiming at least 20 lives besides those in Las Tejerías.
Social networks
Families searching for loved ones have turned to social networks, including Twitter, to share photos and urgent appeals for information. The effort to locate missing people extends beyond the immediate disaster area as relatives and friends post identity papers, family photographs, and other clues, hoping someone recognizes a person or a place. Journalists and influencers have echoed many of these messages, amplifying the call for help and attempting to pierce the rubble and mud surrounding Las Tejerías.
Ender Segovia, who recently moved to Las Tejerías to support his family, is trying to locate his 56-year-old uncle José Segovia. He could not reach him on Saturday afternoon, and the family later learned that his one-year-old cousin had died inside their home after the river engulfed the area. Segovia described neighbors and relatives combing the roofs and streets for signs of survivors, noting that people now believe the official missing count may be too low and will likely rise as hours pass. He urged ongoing, tireless searching because hope persists even in the toughest moments.
At the disaster site, a broad coalition is mobilized, including public and private bodies, international organizations, students, rescue teams, and volunteers. The aim is to support about 10,000 families across 23 sectors affected by overflowing streams. “The task is formidable because the affected area is so large,” said Nelson Suniaga, a firefighter who serves at the Central University of Venezuela. He described a joint operation with state authorities and volunteers, involving more than 3,000 people in total, according to government figures.
In the face of the magnitude, responders emphasize solidarity across communities. People arriving at the site often assist a family directly or follow a familiar scent trail—the kind of instinctive, practical response that emerges during such disasters. “We search all day where people pointed to or where there might be something left,” Suniaga recalled. The spirit of cooperation remains high, even as the search and recovery efforts continue to push through difficult conditions.