Calay News
President Gabriel Boric announced on Saturday that heavy rains in central Chile have caused two fatalities and three missing persons due to flooding. In a statement, Boric mentioned that “unfortunately we have two people who have died as a result of falling trees, in addition to three missing people, 419 victims, 1,002 sheltered, 2,759 isolated, and water cuts in several communes of the ValparaÃso region.”
One of the missing is a firefighter who was collaborating in the rescue work. After visiting the affected families in the municipality of Talagante, some 40 kilometers west of Santiago, the Chilean president stated on Saturday night that the situation is “very delicate” in four regions south of the capital.
In response to this scenario, the government has decreed a disaster zone in the entire central zone, from the ValparaÃso region to the BiobÃo region, allowing the allocation of special resources to repair damaged infrastructure and destroyed homes.
The heavy rains, which began on Thursday, were concentrated in a few hours in areas of the mountain range and foothills where snow is normally recorded. This caused a rapid increase in the flow of rivers, including the Mapocho and Maipo, which cross Santiago.
The situation generated by the heavy rains has had a significant impact on the central region of Chile, causing loss of life and disappearances and affecting thousands of people. The authorities are working to provide assistance and support to the affected communities and to take the necessary measures to deal with this emergency.
