Forest fires ravaging central Chile have killed at least 51 people and the death toll is likely to continue to rise, authorities said on Saturday, as emergency services struggled to put out flames threatening urban areas.
Black smoke billowed into the sky over many parts of the Valparaíso region, home to nearly a million people in central Chile, as firefighters, using helicopters and trucks, struggled to put out the fires.
Areas around the coastal resort town of Viña del Mar have been some of the worst affected and rescue teams were struggling to reach all affected areas, Chilean authorities said.
The death toll increased when five bodies were found on public roads, and the information indicates that “we are going to reach much higher figures” in the coming hours, said the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá.
“Valparaíso’s condition is the most delicate,” Toha said, adding that the country was facing its worst disaster since a 2010 earthquake that killed about 500 people.
Areas around the coastal resort town of Viña del Mar have been some of the worst affected and rescue teams were struggling to reach all affected areas. REUTERS The death toll increased when five bodies were found on public roads, and the information indicates that “we are going to reach much higher figures” in the coming hours. AP Plumes of smoke rise into the sky as a helicopter flies over one of the forest fires that have spread to Viña del Mar. Chile on Saturday. AP
President Gabriel Boric told the nation in a televised address: “The situation is really very difficult.”
Forest fires are not uncommon in Chile during the summer months. Last year, following a record heat wave, about 27 people died and more than 990,000 acres were affected.
“The area affected by fires today is much smaller than last year, (but) right now the number of hectares affected is multiplying very quickly,” Toha said.
The sun appears red behind a dark, smoky sky on Feb. 3, 2024. AP A helicopter flies over a wildfire as it tries to stop its spread Saturday. AP A firefighter is silhouetted against a smoky sky in Viña del Mar on Saturday. AP A resident flees a fire in Viña del Mar, Chile, on February 3, 2024. AP Residents watch as a column of smoke from forest fires rises into the sky, in Viña del Mar. AP
Between Friday and Saturday, the area affected by wildfires increased from 74,130 to 110,000 acres.
Toha said authorities’ biggest concern was that some of the active fires were burning very close to urban areas “with a very high potential to affect people, homes and facilities.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn