Chilean President Gabriel Boric has announced that the death toll from the raging wildfires in the country’s central region has risen to 112, describing it as a “very big tragedy.” He stated that entire neighborhoods have been consumed by the fires.
As the authorities anticipate a further increase in casualties, Boric has declared national mourning for two days starting from this Monday, remarking that “Chile must brace itself for more bad news.”
He added that this is “the biggest tragedy we have witnessed since the 2010 earthquake,” referring to the 8.8 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami on February 27, 2010, which claimed the lives of over 500 people.
While the death toll stood at 51 until last Saturday, the authorities have reported that hundreds are still missing, raising concerns that the number of casualties will continue to rise as more bodies are found at the foothills and in homes ravaged by the fires.
Manuel Monsalve, the Undersecretary of the Interior, stated in a press conference that the forensic team has received “112 bodies, with 32 bodies identified,” and that “there are still 40 active fires.”
The Mayor of the resort town of Vina del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, and the governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Mundaca, have mentioned that hundreds of people are among the missing.
The forest fires, which started several days ago, are threatening the coastal tourist cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso.
Chilean authorities have implemented curfews from 9 pm in the most affected areas and deployed military personnel to assist firefighters in containing the fires. Helicopter water drops are being used in an effort to extinguish the fires from the air.
The central region of Chile, especially Valparaiso, is witnessing the “greatest tragedy” the country has faced in 20 years. A drone video footage in Vina del Mar showed entire neighborhoods engulfed in flames, while residents are sifting through the debris of burnt homes and abandoned cars in the streets.
Whole residential areas have been burned to the ground, and vast stretches of forests spanning thousands of hectares have turned to ashes. Firefighters are tirelessly combating dozens of fires in the central and southern parts of the country.
This news is particularly devastating for Chile, and efforts to contain and mitigate the impact of the wildfires are ongoing.
