46 dead in Chile as wildfires destroy densely populated areas

Santiago: At least 46 people have been killed as forest fires sweeping across Chile have reached densely populated areas. Several houses have been destroyed as the flames continued to spread. Given the critical situation, President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in the central and southern parts of the country on Saturday. “Forty people died in the fire, and another six (who died) due to burns,” President Boric said after conducting an Ariel survey of the affected region on Saturday afternoon.

“We know these (numbers) will increase,” he added.

Forest fire in Chile: gray smoke everywhere

Dense gray smoke has blanketed the tourist region of Valparaiso and the coastline of central Chile, forcing people to flee their homes. Authorities imposed a curfew on Saturday to allow emergency supplies to be delivered to affected areas and also issued new evacuation orders. However, it remained unclear exactly how many people have been ordered to leave, AFP reported.

Forest fire in Chile: 106,000 hectares burned

On Saturday, Chile's Interior Minister Carolina Toha said there had been 92 forest fires, burning 106,000 hectares across the country. Firefighters are doing their best to control or extinguish the raging flames. Forty forest fires had been brought under control, Toha said.