Venezuela expects landslide death toll to reach 100

The rising death toll from the devastating landslide that ripped through a northern town of Venezuela is expected to reach 100 victims, President Nicolas Maduro has said. 

“Thirty-nine bodies have already been recovered,” he said on state television on Tuesday.

“There are still a significant number of missing people: 56… We are reaching almost a hundred fatal victims of this tragedy.”

Hundreds of Venezuelans have been searching through the streets of Las Tejerias for their loved ones after floods swept through the town. 

Electricity and mobile phone coverage have now been restored to the town of around 73,000 people but it still has no running water, according to Reuters news agency witnesses. 

So far, more than 1,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, officials have confirmed. Government officials who visited Las Teherias have promised to recover all the houses and businesses that have been affected.