In Chile, 24 dead and more than 1,100 injured in huge forest fires

In Chile, multiple forest fires have left 24 dead and 1,182 injured, according to a report released Sunday by the authorities. Fanned by moderate to strong winds and temperatures above 40 degrees, the fires devastated in five days some 270,000 hectares and destroyed 1,081 homes, said the authorities.

The death toll “rose to 24 dead, after the death of a person who was hospitalized in Angol, located in the region of La Araucanía”, said the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.

More than 5,000 firefighters mobilized

The government has declared a state of disaster in several central regions. This sector is reduced to scenes of desolation, with plots reduced to ashes, and inhabitants who have lost everything. Sunday morning, a drop in temperatures offered some respite to the 5,300 firefighters who are fighting the fires. According to the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), 283 active fires have been recorded, including 71 out of control.

“We are seeing a small improvement in weather conditions on Sunday and Monday, with temperatures no longer extremely high,” said Manuel Monsalve. However, the thermometer could again reach nearly 40ºC on Tuesday. According to the Undersecretary of the Interior, ten people were arrested on suspicion of having played a role in starting certain fires.

International support

For his part, President Gabriel Boric attended on Sunday the funeral wake of a volunteer firefighter in the town of Coronel, in the Biobio region. He traveled again to the city of Concepción, 510 km south of Santiago, and visited the ravaged areas.

International aid is beginning to take shape with the departure from Spain on Sunday of a plane and 50 military specialists and drone pilots. Colombia also announced on Twitter to send aid. The Chilean Foreign Ministry said it is coordinating with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, the United States and Mexico.

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