1999 — Vargas Tragedy

1.8 Million Cubic Metres Of Earth Swallowed Up The Region

On December 5th, 1999, in the Vargas State, Venezuela, hundreds of landslides occurred in less than 48 hours.

The Vargas region is located along the northern coast of Venezuela, near the capital Caracas, characterised by steep mountains that drop straight into the Caribbean Sea

December 1999 was exceptionally rainy. Between the 14th and 16th, 900 mm of rain fell in just 52 hours, which is about half of the country’s average annual rainfall

This storm was both surprising and unusual, as the typical rainy season in Venezuela runs from May to October.

The trigger was abrupt: hundreds of shallow landslides took place across different areas of the region, carrying mud, rocks, and vegetation debris down to the populated zones below.

Geologists estimated the speed of these landslides to be between 3.3 and 14.5 metres per second, with a total volume of at least 1.8 million cubic metres (approximately 720 Olympic swimming pools).

Death toll estimates vary significantly, from 10,000 to 30,000 people.

Over 75,000 people were displaced due to the destruction of their homes

See you in another story.

X (Twitter) — Instagram