The death toll from the fires that are devastating the center and south of Chile
has risen to at least 51
: this was announced by the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.
Yesterday Chilean President
Gabriel Boric
announced the deaths of at least 46 people, warning that the toll could rise.
Authorities
imposed a curfew
starting from 9pm yesterday to allow access of emergency supplies, particularly fuel, to the affected areas.
Chile has declared a state of emergency, while the fires continue to advance, favored by favorable weather conditions, and despite the efforts of firefighting teams.
A thousand houses were damaged, and 46 thousand hectares of vegetation burned.
The evacuations of people, ordered by the Chilean authorities as part of the emergency resulting from the state of catastrophe, have multiplied in various locations where a curfew was in force throughout yesterday to allow rescuers to move quickly.
Among the most serious incidents of the last few hours have been reported the explosion of a gas deposit in Viña del Mar, accompanied by multiple explosions, and the destruction of the Tricolor paint factory, and nearby chemical plants, in the El Salto sector of the industrial zone of Viña del Mar. In this regard, the local authorities have assured that it was possible to evacuate all personnel, so no casualties have been reported.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA