The latest official report reports two people dead and six missing, according to the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá. Thousands of people were evacuated on Sunday due to the flooding of the Maule River due to the rains that hit southern Chile, leaving two dead and nearly 10,000 isolated.
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The worst rainfall in the last 30 years, according to the authorities, caused the overflow of the two main rivers of Santiago, the Mapocho and the Maipo, to later move south and cause flooding in several towns.
In the last official report on Sunday night, the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, confirmed so far two deaths due to the rains, six missing, 9,814 isolated people, 2,054 sheltered and 4,077 homeless.
The most worrisome situation at the time of the report was the increase in the flow of the Maule River, which doubled in the last few hours.
Due to the swelling of this river, the evacuation of 1,800 people who live near its banks, in the town of Constitución, about 400 km south of Santiago, was ordered.
The front that caused the last rains “was moving further south, but a new frontal system, less intense than the previous one, has been entering,” Tohá said after heading one last emergency committee.
Images captured from the air and broadcast on local television showed extensive flooding in towns such as Coltauco, in the O’Higgins region, and Licantén, in the neighboring El Maule region.
The flooding of the Cachapoal River flooded 80% of Coltauco, while Licantén had almost all of its buildings flooded, including its hospital, due to the flooding of the Mataquito River.
Rivers leaving their banks have caused interruptions to some of the main highways, such as the one that connects the country from north to south, and the one that goes from Santiago to the city and port of Valparaíso on the Pacific. In addition, railway bridges were reported damaged by the force of the rivers.
Some regions affected by the floods were hit during the (austral) summer by large forest fires that destroyed 439,000 hectares and left 26 people dead.
The heavy rains, which began on Thursday, were concentrated in a few hours, especially in the Andes mountains and foothills, where snow usually falls. This caused strong erosion of the hills and a rapid increase in river flows. (with AFP)
