Santiago, Chile – A violent wind and rain storm in south-central Chile has left at least eight people dead and several more missing, authorities said Wednesday.
Nearly 25,000 people have lost power, been isolated or seen flood or wind damage to their homes in the southern region of Bio Bio, 500 kilometers from Santiago, according to a report from the Onemi government emergency office.
President Michelle Bachelet traveled to the region Wednesday after attending a meeting earlier in the day to discuss the coordination of various relief efforts. The area was declared a “catastrophe zone” by the government after the Bio and Bio and Andalien rivers overflowed their banks and left whole towns under water near the coast.
Of those killed, seven died in the town of Chiguayante – near Bio Bio’s capital, Concepcion – when a mudslide buried a dozen firefighters and local residents when they were trying to help other local townspeople.
The official number of victims does not include five fishermen from Chiloe island, 1,200 kilometers south of Santiago, that were reported missing Tuesday by regional authorities.
The storm has affected more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of Chilean territory, from the northern Coquimbo region to Los Lagos in the extreme south.
In several regions, including Valparaiso, classes were suspended and all ports extending down to the southern region of Aysen, 1,500 kilometers from Santiago, have been closed.
The latest reports from meteorologists indicate that the weather will improve Thursday morning.
