Rains in Caracas leave three dead and destroy tents housing earthquake survivors

Torrential rains in Caracas during the early hours of Sunday led to at least three deaths and widespread destruction. The flooding caused trees to fall, knocked out power supplies, and ruined camps housing families displaced by a double earthquake that struck on June 24. Caracas Fire Department commander Pablo Antonio Palacios Salazar reported that two young girls drowned in a water current in La Vega parish.

A 49-year-old woman perished in Libertador municipality, while at least thirty homes were flooded in Sucre municipality. Heavy rainfall, accompanied by lightning and strong wind gusts, was caused by tropical wave number 37 passing over northern Venezuela, according to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. Roads flooded in various districts, including La Candelaria, San Bernardino, Petare, Antímano, Caricuao, and along the Pan-American highway.

The Guaire river rose to the extent that vehicles were swept away in nearby areas. Many of those who lived in the Misión Vivienda OPP-10 housing complex and another camp on Panteón boulevard lost their homes in the earthquake. Human rights defender Carlos Julio Rojas criticized authorities for leaving these families "to their fate," stating that reconstruction work on the building had not begun nearly two months after the disaster.

Caracas Mayor Carmen Melendez confirmed that civil protection and fire crews remained in affected communities, while Baruta Mayor Darwin González declared an alert for residential areas. The double earthquake claimed 6,301 lives and left over 16,000 people injured. Of the affected homes, 12,411 are under habitability restrictions, with 9,567 slated for demolition due to their high risk.

After Sunday's rain-free day, officials maintained their alert, as many earthquake survivors transitioned from camps to damaged homes awaiting government-provided solutions.