“We lost everything”: Erika Quintero raises her hand to show the place where her house was, she is silent, only rubble can be seen. The landslide in central Venezuela, which left more than 25 dead and 52 missing, destroyed homes, businesses and cars.
“My house totally collapsed,” he tells the Voice of America this 32-year-old woman who still has mud stains on her clothes.
“I lost my house, but thank God I have my children alive,” continues Quintero, who has lived in the area all his life.
A few steps away, another woman is digging through mud and bits of branch looking for a brother who has been missing for hours. “A man come please”: Asks loudly for help, continues digging in the rubble.
Others look desolate. They come and go aimlessly. Lots of barefoot kids.
The area has had no electricity or telephone since the tragedy began last Saturday.
In Las Tejerías (Aragua State), the tragedy happened after hours of rain that began on Saturday afternoon. Several rivers burst their banks, carrying sediment, rocks, and trees from the mountain. The government deployed security services in the area.
“I swam everywhere”
A lady with completely white hair walks these streets asking for money to buy food for her grandson. He couldn’t enter his house, which he says is completely boarded up.
“We live because God is very great,” adds Yandry Carmenate, 37, who was submerged almost to the ceiling in his jewelry and grocery store.
In fact, the sign on the wall reflects the hours of fear. “I swam everywhere” and tried to smash walls or windows to get out.
He has injuries to his arms and legs from trying to escape from the mud.
“It was sad, painful”, my wife and I were there alone, but nobody listened to us because the water had already gotten into everything and we had boarded everything up and nobody listened to us, there was nothing we thought , we’re going to die,” says this man Cuban nationalityat the age of eight in Venezuela.
Together with his wife, Yandry tries to salvage as much as possible from his business. Baskets with destroyed vegetables, damaged clothes and jewelry lie on the mud-covered floor. “I lost everything, but the material will be recovered.”
His neighbor did not have the same fate. “When we managed to get into his house at dawn, he was there…he died.”
Venezuela is experiencing atypical rains that have wreaked havoc in several states, the worst disaster so far this year.