Venezuelans looking for water in sewage pipes during blackout: report

People in Venezuela are looking for water in sewage drains as the nation faces a blackout, Reuters reported Monday. 

The outlet reported that at least dozens of people were swarming a fetid river in Caracas, Venezuela, in an attempt to find water. The people told Reuters that the water from the pipes was released by local officials from reservoirs, but that the pipes themselves were unclean. 

“The ones that are most affected are the children, because how do you tell a child that there’s no water?” one woman told Reuters. 

{mosads}The five-day blackout, which has prevented people from pumping water, is exacerbating an economic and humanitarian crisis in the country. In recent weeks, large-scale protests have broken out.  

President Nicolás Maduro has reportedly blamed the U.S. for the blackout, but his opponents are calling it a result of his poor leadership. 

Maduro has been facing increasing international scrutiny, and the country’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, named himself the country’s interim president. President Trump in January recognized Guaidó’s leadership, as did several other countries.