UPDATE: 5,000 Said Dead In Venezuela Floods...12/20/99

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) - The death toll from Venezuela's mudslides and flooding has surpassed 5,000,  Venezuela's foreign minister said Sunday, confirming fears the disaster's magnitude is worsening. Rescue dogs scoured the debris and searched for survivors as widespread looting broke out across a coastline devastated by mudslides and flooding. Disaster relief workers scurried across the tarmac with the wounded at Caracas' international airport, which a week ago was bustling with travelers and duty-free shoppers. The smell of decaying bodies wafted through the airport, and nearby Caribbean beaches were turned into cemeteries. Foreign Minister Jose Vicente Rangel gave the new death toll. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Venezuela this century.