Landslides leave 22 dead, more than 50 missing in Venezuela

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- At least 22 people have died and more than 50 others are still missing in north-central Venezuela where heavy rain induced landslides over the weekend, officials said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday declared the hard-hit Las Tejerias, located about 40 miles southwest of the capital Caracas, a natural disaster and catastrophe zone and issued three days of national mourning.

The death toll was announced by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez during a Sunday press conference, state-run news agency Agencia Venezolana de Noticias reported.

"What has happened in the central hull of [Las] Tejerias is a tragedy," she said.

Carlos Perez, deputy minister for risk management and civil protection, said via Twitter that more than 1,000 officials and police officers have been dispatched to the affected communities to conduct search and rescue missions involving drones and canine units.

The heavy rains hit Las Tejerias and the surrounding area on Saturday, causing streams to overflow that damaged homes and businesses while carrying away electricity poles and trees, The New York Times reported.

Red Cross in Aragua tallied some 20,000 homes have been impacted, according to The Times.

Rodriguez said the public banking system on Monday will announce measures to help merchants who lost their stores and farms whose crops have been destroyed, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information.