Two people have died and three are missing after floods caused by torrential rains in central Chile, President Gabriel Boric said on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, two people died from falling trees (…), three people are missing,” said Mr. Boric. He added that 1,002 people had taken shelter in temporary shelters and that water shortages were affecting several communities in the Valparaiso region.
Among the missing is a firefighter who was involved in the rescue operations.
After accepting the visit of affected families in the municipality of Talagante, 40 km west of the capital Santiago (centre), the President’s services said on Saturday evening that the situation in four regions south of the capital was “very sensitive”.
AFP
The government has declared a state of disaster for an area stretching from the Valparaiso region (northwest of Santiago) to the Biobío region further south, for which special resources are being allocated for infrastructure and housing repairs.
The heavy rains that began Thursday have been concentrated in mountainous and foothill areas where snow usually falls, prompting a rapid surge in rivers, including the Mapocho and Maipo, that flow through Santiago.