The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, indicated this Saturday that the provisional balance already reached 46 muertos due to the forest fires that devastate populated areas of Viña del Mar and the tourist region of Valparaísoin the center of the country, but that figure continued to grow and this Sunday the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve He told AFP that at that number “We must add 6 more people who died in the last few hours in healthcare centers.” Even in the Chilean media there were complaints from residents of burned areas who stated that “there are still many bodies left uncollected,” and even
“We are here, working on the ground to confront this disaster and we know that these lists of victims are going to increase,” said Boric, who traveled to Valparaíso and flew by helicopter over part of the affected regions, which allowed the immense cloud of gray smoke that covers much of the center of the country and complicates not only flights, but also vehicular traffic.
Criticisms are slowly beginning to take shape on social networks, questioning that the evacuations were not ordered before, but in the case in which they were carried out, pointing out that “they send you there is an evacuation order, you get the notice, but they don’t tell you where.” go, where should you go”:
New mistake of the unchild government.
Evacuation alarms They do not inform where to go, no authority has any idea where they should evacuate.— Fran in Resistance (@2_fran2323chile) February 3, 2024
This not Ukraine. It is Viña del Mar, Chile. Fierce fires and the poor people without any help to get out or evacuation instructions. Without competent authorities in charge. It is a tragedy and another sign of what awaits us until this infamous government is over. pic.twitter.com/ALFx6Koh7X
— Carlos Domínguez-Scheid 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #FBPE (@Dominguez1979) February 3, 2024
The Chilean government estimates that the fires have already affected some 43 thousand hectares, and that is why he declared a state of emergency due to the catastrophe in the center and south of the countryincluding tourist areas such as Viña del Mar, Limanche, Quilpué and Villa Alemana. The Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Carolina Tohá, He stressed that they work in the areas 30 brigades, a thousand firefighters and 17 firefighting aircraft.
Rosana Avendañoa 63-year-old kitchen assistant, was away from home when the fire began to devastate El Olivar, one of the sectors of Viña del Mar, where she lives with her husband and her pet. “It was terrible because I couldn’t get (to my house). The fire came here (…) we lost everything. My husband was lying down and he started to feel the heat of the fire that was coming and he ran away”the woman told AFP.
In addition to the human losses, it is estimated that between 3,000 and 6,000 homes were affected in the deadliest forest fires of the last decade, according to Undersecretary Monsalve, and hundreds of vehicles were burned.
In some places there are neighbors who report that there are bodies of victims that have not been collected, and according to the balance that was made late on Saturday, in total the fire outbreaks recorded were 92, 40 of them have already been controlled, but they remain 29 active outbreaks, some of which are markedly dangerous due to their proximity to populated areas.
A hell between the hills and the sea
The most affected areas are near the Pacific beaches, 80 and 120 km northwest of Santiago, where wine, agricultural and logging companies operate. During this season it also receives a large number of tourists.
The strong winds dragged the flames towards sectors where there are furniture factories, which when they caught fire due to their paint or fuel tanks were not only completely destroyed, but also fueled the flames with these combustible elements.
🚨| TRAGEDY IN VIÑA DEL MAR: Neighbors report that the bodies of fire victims have not been removed from the Manuel Bustos sector, in Achupallas. Relatives are forced to protect the bodies to prevent them from being affected by animals. The community urgently requests… pic.twitter.com/iI4mSkdpbJ
— Recover Chile 👍🇨🇱 (@arecuperar2023) February 4, 2024
In December 2022, the same region of Valparaíso had suffered strong forest fires, but they left only two deaths and were very far from the current catastrophe, which is considered unprecedented in a long time. Last year, as an example, the fires in southern Chile left 27 dead
“Something like this had never happened in Valparaíso”
The mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamontiwas surprised by the magnitude of the fires. “We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe, a situation of this magnitude has never happened in the Valparaíso region,” he pointed out.
The routes to these Pacific beaches were closed on Friday, and several fire outbreaks expanded very quickly, burning populated areas, which collapsed the alternative routes of thousands of people who were trying to evacuate. and so then hundreds of cars were trapped and were reached by the flames. People left them abandoned and had to escape on foot to save their lives.
More than a thousand firefighters are working trying to stop the advance of the fire in Valparaíso. (AFP PHOTO)
Until now, The main border crossing that connects the province of Mendoza with Chile on National Route 7, Cristo Redentor, remains open so far for all types of vehicles, Squadron 27 of the National Gendarmerie, stationed in Uspallata, informed Télam.
TE/AFP/HB