In Chile, where devastating forest fires continue to rage, the number of deaths has now risen to at least 112 but is likely to rise. The fires have so far destroyed almost 29,000 hectares of land and left entire areas in ruins (see video above).
State Secretary Manuel Monsalve said at a press conference that 112 deaths have now been admitted to the forensic medicine department. 32 bodies have already been identified. He said firefighters across the country are still battling dozens of fires.
National mourning announced for the deceased
“This is the worst tragedy our country has experienced since the 2010 earthquake,” Chilean President Gabriel Boric said during a visit to the disaster zone in the Valparaíso region on the Pacific coast. At that time, more than 520 people were killed. Boric announced two days of national mourning from Monday in honor of those who died.
For the third day in a row, 1,400 firefighters and 1,300 soldiers and volunteers fought dozens of fires in the center and south of the Latin American country on Sunday. The forest department on Sunday recorded 188 fires across the country, covering a total area of nearly 29,000 hectares.
The coastal town of Viña del Mar is particularly affected
The coastal town of Viña del Mar, popular among tourists, is particularly affected: entire residential areas have burned down. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, more than 3,000 in the Valparaíso region alone, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said. The fire was said to have spread to an area of about 11,000 hectares.
President Boric warned that the number of deaths would increase significantly. Viña del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti and Valparaíso Governor Rodrigo Mundaca said hundreds of people were still missing.
“People could hardly escape”
“It was a huge fire that destroyed the botanical gardens. From there came a terrible wind that set everything on fire, all the houses. People could hardly escape, the water supply was cut off,” said Marcelo Molina, a resident of Viña del Mar. “It happened so quickly. The wind trapped us from the botanical gardens and burning branches were thrown around. “My house there is on fire,” said one woman.
In summer (the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere shift by half a year compared to the Northern Hemisphere, note) there are always serious forest fires in Chile. In 2023, more than 425,000 hectares of land burned in central and southern Chile – that is roughly eight times the area of Lake Constance. At least 26 people were killed.
Source: Krone
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