Floods hit Venezuelan capital

The waters rose extremely quickly

A river ihas flooded a major highway in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, killing one man and injuring others.

The floods, after heavy rain, swept away many vehicles and piled them on top of one another.

The mayor of the district of Chacao, Leopoldo Lopez, said the water rose to a height of two metres within seconds.

He said most of the injuries occurred when cars collided or when people attempted to get out of their vehicles as they began to float.

Fire officials said trees were uprooted, the highway and streets in several neighbourhoods flooded and dozens of houses were damaged as a result of the rains.

Floods and mudslides are common in parts of the country during the rainy season, which runs from mid-May through to November.