Enormous U.S. planes arrived with much-need water purifying equipment, along with 100 servicemen to help survivors. Officials say that avalanches of mud and boulders may forever hide the true number of dead. They estimate that anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000 people were killed by the violent rains that began falling on Dec. 15. Entire villages on the northern coast near the capital of Caracas were washed away. Relief efforts are focusing on bring food and medicine to survivors.
Authorities say the phase of searching for survivors has ended.
At least 11 people were killed Wednesday in mudslides and flash flooding in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Officials expect the toll to climb even further as more victims who were swept away by raging rivers are discovered. Disaster officials reported on Wednesday that more than 1,000 people have been left homeless by the disaster. The flooding and slides were triggered by a heavy deluge that fell incessantly on the region since Tuesday, dropping over eight inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Four large rivers in the area burst their banks during the storm.