The Guaire River is a short river in Venezuela that flows through the nation's capital of

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...

. It is a tributary of the

Tuy River The Tuy River is a river of northern Venezuela, in the Valles del Tuy (Tuy Valleys) of Miranda State. The principal river of Miranda, it flows north from Aragua State through Miranda into the Caribbean Sea. Tributaries include the Guaire River, th ...

and is 72 kilometers (45 miles) long in length. It rises in an area called Las Adjuntas in the Capital District of Venezuela at the confluence of the San Pedro and Macarao Rivers.

History

On 19 April 2017, during the

2017 Venezuelan protests The 2017 Venezuelan protests were a series of protests occurring throughout Venezuela. Protests began in January 2017 after the arrest of multiple opposition leaders and the cancellation of dialogue between the opposition and Nicolás Maduro's g ...

, the Mother of all Protests occurred. Demonstrators began gathering around the country at about 10:30am, with

having 26 different routes for the main march to head to the office of the

Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

to demonstrate. As the march progressed through Caracas, the National Guard began to block routes and fire

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

at marchers at 11:50am, with the demonstrators refusing to leave despite the use of force. At about 12:30pm, demonstrations by both opposition and pro-government Venezuelans fill Caracas' avenues. Shortly after 12:45pm, protesters on the Francisco Fajardo Freeway near Bello Monte begin to flee the area, with many leaping into the Guaire River to avoid the gas, which is used for sewage drainage.

References

“Guaire River.”
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'' * * * {{cite web , title=Venezuela to Clean Guaire River in Capital Caracas , url=http://ens-newswire.com/2012/09/17/venezuela-to-clean-guaire-river-in-capital-caracas/ , publisher=

Environment News Service The Environment News Service (ENS), referred to as ENS, is an environmental news agency which provides original late-breaking news reports. First published on January 1, 1990, ENS is based in the United States. ENS is privately owned and operated ...

, date=September 17, 2012 , accessdate=September 23, 2019 Rivers of Miranda (state) Rivers of Capital District (Venezuela)