World

Chile Declares State of Emergency Following Extreme Wildfires Kill At Least 19 People

Wildfires raging throughout central and southern Chile have killed at least 19 people, officials said Saturday, warning that the death toll is expected to rise as responders search through burned-out homes and the flames continue to advance.

President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency due to the catastrophe over the flames, as dry weather and temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) intensify the issue.

The fires are concentrated in the Valparaiso tourism area, along central Chile’s coastline, where they have destroyed thousands of hectares of forest, engulfed coastal cities in a dense cloud of grey smoke, and driven people to evacuate their homes.

Authorities imposed a curfew in the two regions on Saturday morning until noon (1500 GMT) to allow evacuees and emergency personnel to move freely.

“There are 19 people dead”, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said Saturday, adding that the figure is very provisional because responders had yet to visit certain impacted districts.

She reported 92 active fires, with 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) burned across the country.

“The priority is on the fires in the Valparaiso region because of their proximity to urban areas, where we have several fires”, Toha added.

Overnight, several blocks of homes on the hillsides around the coastal community of Vina del Mar were burned down.

The location, located about 1.5 hours northwest of Santiago, is a popular tourist destination during the hot summer months.

Also read: Taiwan Reports Seeing 5 Navy Ships And 10 Chinese Planes Around Island

Spriha Rai

Recent Posts

Seeing The Lord Among Devotees Is The Pinnacle Of Humility: Gautam Adani At Rath Yatra

Gautam Adani, along with his wife and Karan, participated in the Rath Yatra in Puri,…

44 mins ago

PM Modi Interacts With Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Aboard The ISS

PM Narendra Modi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the…

2 hours ago

Gautam Adani, Family Participate In Puri Rath Yatra; Launch Massive ‘Prasad Seva’ Initiative

Gautam Adani, along with his wife Priti Adani and son Karan Adani, joined thousands of…

2 hours ago

PM Modi, Leaders Pay Tribute To Former PM PV Narasimha Rao On Birth Anniversary

PM Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao on…

3 hours ago

Gautam Adani Hails Divine Experience At Rath Yatra; Praises Odisha’s Graceful Management

Gautam Adani conveyed profound spiritual emotions after witnessing the revered Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath…

3 hours ago

Punjab’s Litchis Reach Middle East Markets In Boost To India’s Fruit Exports

In a step towards diversifying India’s horticultural exports, Punjab has successfully shipped its first consignment…

3 hours ago