The situation regarding large forest fires in central Chile remains alarming. Meanwhile, the death toll rose to at least 112 bodies.
Firefighters in Chile work to extinguish a deadly forest fire. Which claimed the lives of 112 people in the Valparaiso region. Central Chile This has led to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, with President Gabriel Buric warning that the country is facing a huge tragedy.
Officials said hundreds of people are still missing. The death toll is expected to continue to rise. Because many bodies were found on the mountainside. Homes damaged by forest fires
The fire, which broke out on Friday, is currently threatening the area around Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. It is a coastal city that is very popular among tourists. west of Santiago and has a combined population of more than one million
Aerial photos of the Viña del Mar area showed entire neighborhoods burned. Residents searched for the remains of burned homes. The streets were filled with the remains of burned cars. A video circulating on social media showed a fire in the hilly area near an apartment building in the Valparaiso area. Causing dense smog to cover other urban areas obscuring visibility
The Chilean authorities announced a curfew in the most affected areas at 9:00 pm on Sunday (February 4) local time. It sent soldiers to help firefighters contain the spreading fire. Meanwhile, helicopters joined aerial firefighting efforts.
The Chilean Medico-Legal Service and the state coroner's office said 112 people died in the fire.
President Boric Chile, which declared two days of national mourning starting Monday, said it had to prepare for more bad news. He said in a speech on national television that “we are facing a great tragedy.”
Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve said on Sunday that there were 165 fires across Chile. It is estimated that about 14,000 homes were damaged in the Vina del Mar and Gilboa areas alone.
Although forest fires often occur during the summer months in Southern Hemisphere countries, the death toll from fire is shockingly high. Which makes this forest fire the worst national disaster in the country. Since the 2010 earthquake that killed nearly 500 people,
Last year, the heat wave led to record temperatures. There were 27 deaths and more than 2.5 million rai of land were affected.
President Boric is trying to distribute aid to the most affected areas. Many of them are popular with tourists, he said: “We will all unite to fight this emergency. The first priority is to save people's lives.”