Desperate Venezuelans search for water

Residents of Caracas and other Venezuelan cities hit by a six-day-long power cut have been searching for water as supplies to their homes have been affected by the blackout. Many pumps which deliver water to homes stopped working when the power cut first hit on Thursday afternoon local time. While in some areas power returned for short periods and people were able to fill buckets with water, others have had no supplies for the past six days. The supply continues to be intermittent in many areas and often drops out.

In the capital, Caracas, families gathered up all the plastic bottles they could find to fill them with hosepipes at a public park in the east of the city. Others went to a mountain on the outskirts of the city to find water. Long lines of people could be seen walking along the paths carrying empty receptacles. In the city centre, residents tried to scoop up any water they could from the streets. Others tried to catch water from the city's sewer system.