The coastal region of Valparaíso recorded scorching temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius over the weekend
Authorities said Sunday that wildfires in Chile have so far killed at least 99 people, with officials calling it one of the deadliest in the country's history.
The head of the national disaster service, SENAPRED, Álvaro Hormazabal, said firefighters were fighting 34 fires as of Sunday morning and another 43 were under control.
Previously, President Gabriel Boric, while visiting the Quilpue area, affected by forest fires, noted that the death toll was expected to increase, as he also described the inferno as catastrophic since the 2010 earthquake and tsunami.
The coastal region of Valparaíso experienced scorching temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius over the weekend, complicating ongoing rescue operations.
“The weather conditions are going to continue to be complicated,” said Hormazabal.
Officials supervising the bodies of the victims said Sunday that they had taken in 99 people, 32 of them identified.
The president, speaking earlier in Quilpue, had said 64 people had died.
“We know it's going to increase significantly,” he added, calling it the deadliest disaster in the country since the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that killed 500 people.
The president also declared a state of emergency and promised government support to help people recover during his visit to areas affected by the wildfires.
According to SENAPRED, almost 26,000 hectares (64,000 acres) had burned in the central and southern regions as of Sunday.
With the support of 31 helicopters and firefighting planes, some 1,400 firefighters, 1,300 soldiers and volunteers are fighting the flames.
Authorities imposed a curfew from 9pm on Saturday, while thousands of people in affected areas were ordered to evacuate their homes.
The deadliest thing in the history of Chile
The fires, which raged for days, forced authorities on Friday to close the highway linking the Valparaíso region with the capital, Santiago, about an hour and a half away, as a huge mushroom cloud of smoke limited visibility.
According to the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Toha, the weekend fires were “without a doubt” the deadliest fire in the history of Chile.
Pope Francis in his speech on Sunday asked for prayers for those “dead and injured in the devastating fires in Chile.”
The fires are being fueled by a summer heatwave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon, as scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of disasters. such as intense heat and fires.
Rising temperatures threaten to engulf more of the continent, while brigades in Argentina have been fighting a fire that has consumed more than 3,000 hectares in Los Alerces National Park, famous for its beauty and biodiversity, since January 25.
