Emergencies
Number of deaths in forest fires in Chile rises to 112
Entire neighborhoods of Viña del Mar burned down. photo
© Esteban Felix/AP/dpa
The fires are leaving a path of destruction through the South American country – especially around the coastal towns of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. The number of victims continues to rise.
“This is the worst tragedy our country has experienced since the 2010 earthquake,” said President Gabriel Boric during a visit to the disaster area in the Valparaíso region on the Pacific coast. At that time, more than 520 people were killed. Boric announced two days of national mourning starting Monday in honor of those who died.
In Viña del Mar, the fire devastated the resort’s entire botanical garden, which hosts Latin America’s most important music festival every year. “We are increasing our air and land patrols,” said local military chief Rear Admiral Daniel Muñoz. Two suspected arsonists were arrested.
Thousands of houses destroyed
The forestry authority registered 180 fires across the country on Monday, covering a total area of more than 29,000 hectares. Around 15,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, more than 12,000 in Viña del Mar alone, said Interior Ministry State Secretary Manuel Monsalve.
The aid will be accepted in all areas, including illegal settlements, said Social Affairs Minister Javiera Toro. The mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, demanded: “We need legal reforms so that no more construction takes place in risk areas.”
The region west of the capital Santiago, where, according to the government, around 1.8 million people live, is the hardest hit by the fires. It was said that a fire had spread to an area of around 10,000 hectares near the coastal towns of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.
In summer in the southern hemisphere, serious forest fires occur again and again in Chile. Last year, more than 425,000 hectares of land burned in the center and south of Chile – roughly eight times the area of Lake Constance. At least 26 people were killed.