Current:Home > MarketsChile wildfire death toll tops 120 as search continues for survivors around Valparaiso -EquityWise
Chile wildfire death toll tops 120 as search continues for survivors around Valparaiso
View
Date:2025-04-23 09:36:36
Viña del Mar, Chile — Chile began two days of national mourning Monday for at least 122 victims of a raging wildfire, as the search continued for the missing and survivors picked through the scorched remains of their lives.
"All of Chile weeps for Valparaiso," President Gabriel Boric said Sunday as the central coastal region reeled from the weekend inferno that has become the world's third-deadliest wildfire this century.
Crowded hilltop neighborhoods that overlook the tourist hotspot found themselves without electricity and with limited water, the streets strewn with charred cars, debris and ash.
"The most important parts of my house were saved, but now we are without electricity, we can't do anything or charge our cell phones. Traffic is complicated with burned cars, everything is devastated," said Patricia Guzman, 63, in the otherwise razed Canal Chacao neighborhood.
Volunteers streamed to the worst-hit areas to help families, rescue pets, and deliver food, water, and tents.
Meanwhile, rescue workers scoured the rubble for further victims.
The state forensic agency on Monday reported the toll stood at 122 dead, with only 32 of the victims identified. Boric had warned Sunday that the earlier death toll of 112 could rise "significantly."
Most of the deaths have been in Viña del Mar, a popular tourist spot known for its beaches and botanical gardens. The town's mayor, Macarena Ripamonti, told reporters on Sunday that "190 people are still missing" in the city.
"Jill and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires in Chile," President Biden said in a statement Monday evening. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people impacted by this terrible tragedy and the first responders working to fight the fires and support displaced families and individuals."
The fires surged Friday in the region, fueled by winds and amid a brutal heatwave that has seen temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Authorities are investigating whether they were started deliberately.
Supported by 31 firefighting helicopters and airplanes, some 1,400 firefighters, 1,300 military personnel and volunteers are combating the flames.
Authorities on Sunday reported around 40 fires still burning, with evacuations in Til Til, 60 km north of Santiago, and in Galvarino, 400 km south of the capital.
Abraham Mardones, a 24-year-old welder who fled his burning home in Viña del Mar, told AFP he narrowly escaped the fast-paced inferno.
"We saw the fire on the hill in front of us. We looked out again and the fire was already at the walls of our house. It took only 10 minutes. The entire hill burned," he said.
"The fire consumed everything — memories, comforts, homes. I was left with nothing but my overalls and a pair of sneakers that were given to me as a gift," Mardones told AFP. "I could only rescue my dog."
Upon his return on Sunday, he said he found several neighbors who had died in the flames.
Friends passed by driving a truck "carrying the burned bodies of their brother, their father, their daughter."
Boric, who met with fire survivors at a Viña del Mar hospital Sunday, has declared a state of emergency, pledging government support to help people get back on their feet.
According to national disaster service SENAPRED, nearly 64,000 acres had been burned across the central and southern regions by Sunday.
Authorities have imposed a curfew, while thousands in the affected areas were ordered to evacuate their homes.
In the hillsides around Viña del Mar, AFP reporters saw entire blocks of houses that were burned out.
Some of the dead were seen lying on the road, covered by sheets.
According to Interior Minister Carolina Toha, the weekend blazes have been "without a doubt" the deadliest fire event in Chile's history.
"This was an inferno," Rodrigo Pulgar, from the town of El Olivar, told AFP. "I tried to help my neighbor... my house was starting to burn behind us. It was raining ash."
During his Sunday address, Pope Francis, a native of neighboring Argentina, called for prayers for the "dead and wounded in the devastating fires in Chile."
The fires are being driven by a summer heatwave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, as scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of natural disasters such as intense heat and fires.
- In:
- Chile
- Climate Change
- Wildfires
veryGood! (3186)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- 2024 NFL free agency updates: Tracker for Monday buzz, notable moves as deals fly in
- Trader Joe's $2.99 mini tote bags now sell for $500 on eBay
- Philadelphia’s Chinatown to be reconnected by building a park over a highway
- Messi injury update: Ankle 'better every day' but Inter Miami star yet to play Leagues Cup
- Arkansas police identify suspect, victims in weekend shooting that left 3 people dead
- Kate, Princess of Wales, apologizes for altering family photo that fueled rumors about her health
- Trader Joe's $2.99 mini tote bags now sell for $500 on eBay
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- Sperm whale beached on sandbar off coast of Venice, Florida has died, officials say
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Kirk Cousins leaves Vikings to join Falcons on four-year contract
- West Virginia governor vies for Manchin’s US Senate seat, while moonlighting as girls hoops coach
- Kirk Cousins leaves Vikings to join Falcons on four-year contract
- 2024 Olympics: Gymnast Ana Barbosu Taking Social Media Break After Scoring Controversy
- Florida teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender ID under ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill settlement
- These BaubleBar Deals Only Happen Twice Year: I Found $6 Jewelry, Hair Clips, Disney Accessories & More
- The 9 Best Comforter Sets of 2024 That’re Soft, Cozy, and Hotel-Like, According to Reviewers
Recommendation
A Georgia governor’s latest work after politics: a children’s book on his cats ‘Veto’ and ‘Bill’
Mother of child Britt Reid injured during DUI speaks out after prison sentence commuted
Mistrial declared in fired Penn State football team doctor’s lawsuit over 2019 ouster
Man bitten by a crocodile after falling off his boat at a Florida Everglades marina
USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
Four people found dead after West Virginia fire, body of suspect discovered in separate location
Reddit IPO to raise nearly $750 million and will offer shares to Redditors. Here's how it will work.
If Ted Leonsis wants new arena for Wizards, Capitals, he and Va. governor need to study up