The death toll from forest fires has risen to 112 in Chile, authorities said yesterday (Sunday), stressing that firefighters were continuing efforts to control some forty active outbreaks.
“We must say that based on the information we received from the forensic service, there are 112 dead (and) 32 bodies have been identified,” Manuel Monsalve, spokesman for the Latin American country’s Interior Ministry, said during a press conference.
The ferocity of the fiery front and the heat wave (the country is in the middle of summer) are exacerbating the devastation, with authorities stressing that the death toll will rise
In Kilpué, nearly 90 km northwest of the capital Santiago, a French News Agency team was able to see entire neighborhoods burned and cars charred. There, thousands of residents were stranded for several hours on Friday as they tried to flee by car.
“This is the biggest tragedy we have experienced since the 2010 earthquake,” Boric said, referring to the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that was followed by a tsunami on February 27, 2010, with more than 500 dead and much destruction.
Meanwhile, the country has been declared a state of emergency as coastal towns are choked with smoke and residents in central areas are forced to flee their homes.
Particularly affected are the provinces of Marga Marga and Valparaiso, where a partial curfew has been imposed to facilitate firefighting efforts.
More than 90 fires were raging across the country, having so far burned more than 400,000 hectares. 50 fires have been brought under control.
Dozens of people in the Valparaiso region are reported missing. In the same area the fires have damaged 1,100 homes.
So far one person has been arrested in connection with the fires, CNN reported.
According to police, the man was at his home in the central Chilean city of Talca doing welding work when he accidentally started a fire that spread to nearby grasslands.
