Severe rain and strong winds have struck central and southern Chile, resulting in at least three fatalities and forcing hundreds to leave their homes. The floods have caused widespread disruption, including power outages and school closures.
President Jose Antonio Kast is visiting the Biobio region to evaluate the situation and coordinate the response. The disaster relief agency reports ongoing evacuations and isolated communities as heavy rain continues in the area.
Torrential rain and fierce winds have lashed central and southern Chile, leaving at least three people dead and displacing hundreds more.
Related coverage: Smoke from Canadian wildfires and soaring temperatures impact New York City residents.
President Jose Antonio Kast announced on Friday that he was travelling to the Biobio region, one of the most impacted, to survey the damage and the response from authorities.
“A lot of rain on the road, but it’s passable,” Kast wrote in a social media post, showing himself en route. “Take care.”
More context: Widespread Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Affects Air Quality in US Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast.
Further heavy rainfall is expected on Friday in the country’s central zone.
SENAPRED, the country’s disaster relief agency, has reported that 466 people remain in shelters, some of whom were evacuated as a preventative measure.
Also read: Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping arrested by ICE amid asylum process.
Another 158 residents have been isolated by the rising water levels, mostly in the Coquimbo region. Alicia Cebrian, the head of the agency, said that seven people have been injured.
Background: Venezuela Earthquakes Leave Almost 5,000 Confirmed Dead and Tens of Thousands Missing.
SENAPRED announced evacuation orders for the Campamento Ribera del Rio area, near the commune of Talagante, citing rising river levels.
The floods have disrupted life across Chile, with schools in some parts of the country suspending classes on Friday. The state-owned mining giant Codelco reported that it had stopped surface operations at the Andina mine due to storms.
About 257,000 people remain without power, mostly in the south.
Among those killed in the storms was a labourer clearing a road in the southern town of Negrete. Another person fell while cleaning a roof in Temuco, and a third victim suffered a fatal electric shock in the capital Santiago.
Kast, who campaigned in the 2025 election on a hardline, anti-crime platform, has pledged institutional support for those affected by the flooding.
He was inaugurated as president in March, and the floods come less than six months into his term.
Related coverage:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.