CARACAS.- Two people died as a result of a river overflowing in eastern Venezuela after the heavy rains in the last hours caused by the passage of Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbeanaccording to the authorities of the South American country on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos reported the death of two people, while five are missing. According to the report, some 600 homes were affected by the rising waters of the Manzanares River in the eastern state of Sucre.
According to the official’s first assessment, one of the most affected areas is La Fragua, where a hamlet has completely disappeared.
The official added that some 25,000 people are affected by the emergency.
It has been reported that firefighters and police are currently carrying out rescue work and evacuating residents who are in areas that were submerged by the waters.
On Monday, the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) of Venezuela announced the suspension until Tuesday of flights to four cities in the northeast of the country, as a preventive measure against the effects of Hurricane Berly. The cities affected by this measure are: Polamar, Cumaná, Carúpano and Tucupita.
Sucre Governor Gilberto Pinto Blanco announced on Tuesday that vehicle traffic has been closed on the highway connecting the state of Sucre with its neighbor Monagas.
“La Fragua is at a low level and requires evacuation. We have requested air resources to carry out airborne evacuations but conditions do not allow this at the moment,” he explained.
The governor said that the rains continue in “the headwaters (of the Manzanares River) and we have made the decision to suspend activities in the Montes municipality.”
He said that a school – José Luis Ramos – was set up as a collection center for food, water and medical supplies to care for those affected.
Source: EDITORIAL / With information from El Nacional / Efecto Cocuyo / La patilla
