At least 8 dead as floods sweep Venezuela; reports suggested the death toll might have been at least as twice as high

Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): Interior & Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami announced that four people died in Caracas during the torrential rains that hit Venezuela on Thursday after reports had suggested that the death toll might have been at least as twice as high.

Two people died in the Libertador municipality in west Caracas and the other two in Baruta in the south, he said. The municipal "risk director" in Libertador, Jose Gregorio Delgado, said emergency services were put on red alert and 167 people were removed from their homes in Catuche, Cota 905 and Mamera I as a precautionary measure. The picture in the rest of the country remained unclear and confused as reports trickled into the capital. Early reports said there had also been fatalities there as the storm swept across several states.

The authorities in Yaracuy state confirmed the deaths of two people, and another two were said to have died in the Perija hills in Zulia state.
In Aragua state, the Ocumare coast was cut off when the Rio La Trilla burst its banks, although there were no immediate reports of fatalities there. In Miranda state, a television crew from the private sector channel, Globovision, who were filming the floods, were told to leave by the National Guard (GN), reportedly on orders from Governor Diosdado Cabello, who's seeking re-election.

The authorities were under pressure to take action, after complaints of having reacted slowly and inadequately to other natural disasters earlier this year. Vice President Ramon Carrizales emphasized the government was "committed in its labors to find a solution and resolve the emergency." The Public Defender's Office said that emergency operations had been launched to cope with flooding.