Heavy rains kill 17 in Venezuela

Torrential rains in Venezuela have killed 17 people, closed airports, blocked roads and destroyed thousands of homes in the past few days. President Hugo Chavez has declared a state of emergency in some regions and several governors are urging him to declare a national state of emergency.

Reuters/Miraflores Palace

There are concerns the death toll could rise. Official figures on Tuesday said 56,000 people had been affected by the tropical rains and 11,000 homes were destroyed.

Caracas international airport is operating at reduced capacity, and the highway leading to it is cut in several places by mudslides.

Storms have caused an electrical blackout, limiting operations at Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery and paralysing another, smaller refinery.

Both facilities are in the northwestern state of Falcon, where Chavez has declared a 90-day emergency.

Heavy rains are likely to continue into Wednesday, according to the national weather service.

More than 130 people have died in Mexico, about 400 in Central America and 136 in Colombia during this year’s rainy season, which has been more violent than usual this year because of La Nina, a phenomenon in which unusually cool water circulates in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean.