At least 112 people have died in a violent fire that has ravaged the tourist coastal region of Valparaiso in central Chile, with the number likely to rise on Monday as firefighters continue to battle nearly forty active blazes.
Whole residential areas were destroyed, cars burned, about 26,000 hectares of land reduced to ashes… About 1,400 firefighters and 1,300 soldiers and volunteers are preparing to fight the fires in the center and south of the country for the fourth day in a row. National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED).
“With the information received from the forensic service we must say that there are 112 people killed, 32 bodies have been identified”, Interior Ministry spokesman Manuel Monsalve announced during a press conference on Sunday evening, that firefighters are still fighting about forty active outbreaks. The previous toll given by the Forensic Medicine Service (SML) was 99 dead.
“This number will increase, we know it will increase significantly”President Gabriel Boric issued the warning earlier on Sunday during a trip to Quilpue, located on the outskirts of Viña del Mar in the Valparaiso region where all the deaths were reported.
The mayor of the resort town of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, and the governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Mundaca, said several people were missing.
In Quilpué, a team from Agence France-Presse was able to see entire neighborhoods and cars burned. There, thousands of residents were trapped for several hours on Friday as they tried to escape by car.
“This is the worst disaster we have seen since the 2010 earthquake”Mr. Boric made the announcement in reference to the 8.8 magnitude earthquake on February 27, 2010, which was followed by a tsunami that killed more than 500 people.
Night curfew
Lilian Rojas, a 67-year-old retiree, lived near one of the hardest-hit areas, the Vina del Mar Botanical Garden. “There’s not a single house left”, she said, amid the rubble and ashes. She says the fire caught them by surprise within minutes. “I went out to look and people were already running. I left my house, locked the door and left.”Describes the retiree, showing her pink dress: “It’s the only thing I have left. »
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Rodrigo Pulgar, a driver, lost his home in El Oliver in the hills of Valparaiso. “It was hell, the explosions. As I tried to help my neighbor lock his car, my house was burning behind me. It was a rain of ashes.”he says.
To limit traffic in affected areas “and to facilitate operations for rescuing the victims and recovering the dead”A new curfew was implemented in four municipalities of Valparaiso from 6 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday.
More favorable weather conditions
Weather conditions in the past few hours appear to be more favorable, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said, describing a phenomenon typical of the Pacific coast that produces lots of clouds, high humidity and therefore low temperatures.
“Present conditions are more conducive to tending to victims and controlling fires”she added.
The Las Tablas fire, the largest in the Valparaiso region, is still active and “covers a perimeter of 80 km”Ms. Toha indicated.
Throughout the region, popular for its beaches and its wine production, seventeen fire brigades, 1,300 soldiers and civilian volunteers were deployed to fight the fires and help destitute residents.
Support from the Pope, the European Union and France
From Rome, after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis called to pray on Sunday “For the dead and injured in the devastating fire in Chile”.
European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell announced on X that the European Union was “Ready to help in these difficult times”Assuming this “Devastating fires (…) remind us of the ravages of drought and climate”.
“In the face of the fires ravaging the country, France expresses its full solidarity with the government and people of Chile” And “Willing to help”The French Foreign Ministry also reacted to X.
Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil threatened
President Boric declared a state of emergency on Friday “All the necessary tools are there” Cope with fire progress. 14 ships and five helicopters were mobilized to fight the fire.
As of Wednesday, temperatures in central Chile and the capital Santiago have hovered near 40 degrees Celsius. “These episodes are becoming more and more frequent, which is why we see historical temperature records every year.”Explained the Chilean branch of the CNN channel Pablo Lobos Stefani, responsible for fire safety at the National Forestry Company.
This heatwave is a result of the El Niño climate phenomenon currently affecting the southern cone of Latin America in mid-summer, which has made wildfires worse due to global warming. After Chile and Colombia, there is a threat of heat wave in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the coming days.
