- Dozens of people have died in the severe forest fires in Chile.
- According to authorities, at least 56 people died and hundreds are still missing.
- Thousands of houses were also affected by the fires.
Given the circumstances, it is to be expected that the number of deaths will rise: “We have a lot of preliminary information that has not yet been officially confirmed that suggests that we will reach much higher numbers,” said Interior Minister Carolina Tohá.
Over 300 people are currently still missing in the disaster region of Chile.
Possibly over 500 deaths
With a view to the expected number of victims, Tohá spoke of what was probably the worst emergency in the South American country since the severe earthquake in 2010. At that time, more than 520 people were killed.
Legend:
Thousands of houses have already burned down in the disaster region. Some residents tried to fight the flames with water from kettles.
Reuters/Rodrigo Garrido
The forestry authority registered 159 fires across the country on Sunday, covering an area of around 28,000 hectares. Tohá said that thousands of houses were also affected by the fires. In the Valparaíso region alone there are more than 3,000 buildings.
President Gabriel Boric had already declared a state of emergency in the affected areas due to the disaster on Friday in order to be able to mobilize all the necessary resources.
He also ordered the Defense Ministry to deploy more military units. “Our priority is to save lives,” said Boric on Saturday. On Sunday, Boric traveled to the disaster region and visited the injured in the hospital in the city of Viña del Mar.
It is currently summer in the southern hemisphere. There are always serious forest fires in Chile. However, there is suspicion that at least some of the fires were started intentionally.