(Santiago de Chile) The heavy rains which fell on Thursday in the center and south of Chile left one dead and more than 4,000 affected, according to the authorities, who declared a state of “catastrophe” in five regions of the country .
The storm left one person dead in Linares, a town in the south of the country, following the fall of a tree, and affected 4,304 people, according to a report from the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred).
“These rains will continue to fall very hard,” warned Chilean President Gabriel Boric, in a message sent from Sweden, where he is on an official visit.
Chile’s meteorological services have issued an “alarm”, the highest level of warning to the population, for the regions of Coquimbo in the north, Valparaiso and Metropolitana in the center, and O’Higgins, Ñuble and Biobio in the south, due to rain and unusually strong winds.
Interior Minister Carolina Tohá announced a state of “catastrophe” in five of these regions in order to facilitate emergency aid.
In the capital Santiago, 80 mm of rain is expected to fall in a few hours, as much as the entire month of June. The rains come after more than a decade of drought.
The most affected area is the town of Curanilahue, where two rivers burst their banks and flooded the streets.
The authorities have decreed the total suspension of classes in schools in Santiago and four other regions of the country, and asked the population to limit travel.
In the town of Viña del Mar, 110 km from Santiago, authorities are on alert over the risk of collapse of a 12-story building with 200 apartments, in the Reñaca sector. Weekend rains caused a sinkhole 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep beneath the building.
