Vargas Tragedy Floods

Date: December 14, 1999 • Location: Caraballeda, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of

The Vargas tragedy was a natural disaster that occurred in Vargas State, Venezuela, on 15 December 1999, when torrential rains caused flash floods and debris flows that killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed thousands of homes, and led to the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. According to relief workers, the neighborhood of Los Corales was buried under 3 meters (9.8 ft) of mud and a high percentage of homes were simply swept into the ocean. Entire towns including Cerro Grande and Carmen de Uria completely disappeared. As much as 10% of the population of Vargas died during the event. A deadlier natural disaster would not occur until the 2003 Bam earthquake. According to Guinness World Records, it is the deadliest mudslide ever recorded.