Bridge between Apure and Táchira collapsed after heavy rains

• Venezuelan authorities also reported faults on other roads in the country that have restricted traffic. Main photo: X/@rvaraguayan

Venezuelan Transport Minister Ramón Velásquez reported on July 5 that heavy rains caused the collapse of the bridge that connects the states of Apure and Táchira.

“As a result of the heavy rains that occurred during the early hours of the morning, we report the collapse of the bridge over the El Nulita River,” the minister wrote on his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

The structure specifically connects the population of El Nula, in Apure, with the population of El Piñal, in Táchira.

Velásquez, who shared photos showing the bridge collapsed over the river, said that pedestrian and vehicle traffic will remain restricted until the restoration work is completed.

Other roads closed

The Falcón State Security Secretariat reported the closure of the Morón-Coro highway due to the collapse of the Paso Nuevo bridge, which is located between the Huequito and Curarí sectors, in the Píritu municipality.

The Minister of Transport also referred to this failure in his X account and assured that they are working to open the passage.

Photo: X/@rvaraguayan

“On the Paso Nuevo Bridge, trunk line 3, passage will be opened in the next few hours for light vehicles, while heavy-duty vehicles will be able to circulate on an alternate route that will be opened in 24 hours,” said Velásquez.

He also indicated that repairs to reopen the road that connects the municipalities of Libertador – Cajigal – Mariño and Valdez with Güiria, in the state of Sucre, have progressed by 70%.

“Work is progressing to replace the culvert that caused the road to collapse. The passage will be opened in the next few hours, once the team has completed the work,” said the minister.

Damage in Cumanacoa due to rain

More than 25 thousand people were affected, three people were killed and hundreds of businesses and homes were destroyed. overflow of the Manzanares River in CumanacoaMontes municipality, Sucre state, on July 2. The situation arose following Hurricane Beryl passed through the Venezuelan Caribbean.

On Wednesday, July 3, the Minister of Interior and Justice, Remigio Ceballos, confirmed that a team of 3,600 officials had been deployed to assist those affected.

In addition to the deceased and those affected, authorities are searching for five missing persons.

Photo: X/@ariana-agreda

For his part, the governor of Sucre state, Gilberto Pinto, indicated that 145 businesses were affected by the overflow of the Manzanares River.

“We are going to evaluate part of the infrastructure of merchants and businessmen. We have also considered in the worksheet the loss of some cultivated spaces with some crops,” he said in an interview with Unión Radio.

Ildemaro Villarroel, Minister of Housing and Habitat, reported on the program En Contacto con Maduro that 7,990 houses were counted “with some type of damage” and, for the moment, the total loss of 360 homes.

Villarroel plans to deliver a total of 188 homes to those affected by the flooding of the Manzanares River before December 2024.

Related news