Thousands of Chileans affected by heavy rains in Andes – DW – 06/26/2023

Thousands of Chileans have been isolated or left homeless after torrential rains hit the country’s center since last Thursday. AndesOfficials said this Sunday (06.25.2023) that two people have already died and six are missing, unusual for this early southern winter.

Heavy rain lashed the capital ChiliRivers are overflowing, creating massive torrents and forcing thousands of people to evacuate, mainly in the foothills.

Interior Minister Carolina Doha announced that 7,977 people were isolated and 3,383 homeless due to flooding in the central region of the country.

“The situation overnight (from Saturday to Sunday) indicated a significant improvement in most of the affected areas, but there are still very worrying situations,” Doha said.

54 houses were reported destroyed, 751 with major damage and 1,578 people in shelters.

isolated areas

The minister pointed out that the town of Ñiquén in the Ñuble region was completely flooded. “There will be a massive evacuation effort,” Doha added.

Images taken from the air and broadcast on local television in towns such as Coltacco and Ligandon show the scale of the crisis. First, in the O’Higgins region, 120 km south of Santiago, the mouth of the Cachabol River flooded 80% of the town and isolated 200 people.

In Licantén, in the Maule region and 210 km from the capital, 700 people were quarantined and all its buildings, including its hospital, were flooded due to the flooding of the Mataquito River.

Rivers overflowing their channels have caused disruptions to some of the main highways that connect the country from north to south, from Santiago to the city and the port of Valparaíso. Also, it has been reported that railway bridges have been damaged due to the impact of rivers.

The heavy rain that began on Thursday accumulated within hours, especially in the Andes and foothills, where snow usually falls. Due to this, the mountains were severely eroded and the flow of the river increased rapidly.

jc (efe, afp, Radio Ruta 160, Bio Bio Chile)