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24 dead in Venezuelan floods
13/02/2005 14:19 - (SA)
Caracas - At least seven people died on Saturday due to flooding and landslides in the mountainous areas of southwest Venezuela, raising the death toll left by torrential rains this week to 24, a rescue official said.
Over 100 people are feared missing after strong rains caused landslides and rivers to swell in Merida state, said Civil Protection Director Antonio Rivero.
Six passenger buses are missing since Friday night, and authorities fear they may have gone off the steep cliffs between the small towns of Santa Cruz de Mora and Tovar, some 600km southwest of Caracas, said Rivero.
"We have not been able to continue rescuing stranded people by helicopter because of the bad weather conditions" in the area, said Rivero.
Santa Cruz de Mora, Bailadores and Tovar in southwest Merida were the most devastated by the rains, which caused the Mocoties river to flood the area.
In neighbouring Colombia, at least 11 people died on Saturday due to heavy rains near Bucaramanga, some 100km east of the border with Venezuela.
Also on Saturday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that he will create a fund with 100 000 bolivars ($52m) to help victims of the floods and for reconstruction.
Over 14 000 people lost their homes due to rains in central Venezuela last week. Authorities have not said how many have been left homeless in Merida.
The government will also inspect shacks near rivers which are potentially vulnerable to floods, as a way to prevent future emergencies, said Chavez during a trip to one of the areas in central Venezuela which has been flooded.
Despite Venezuela's bountiful oil resources, the majority of the population lives in poverty.
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