Wildfires Leave 56 Dead in Chile Thus Far
Minister Carolina Toha compared these fires to the 2010 earthquake.
Havana Times – Following the conclusion of the Disaster Risk Management Committee (COGRID) meeting, Chilean authorities confirmed that, according to the latest official report, there are 56 confirmed fatalities due to the wildfires affecting the Valparaíso region.
The figure was provided by the Governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca, and the presidential delegate in the region, Sofía González.
“We have the responsibility to communicate what we agreed upon with President Gabriel Boric, and I want to tell you that we fully agree that the curfew will be maintained,” said Mundaca.
Regarding this, the regional authority stated, “We have seen that the curfew also provides a certain level of security to our population and allows us to concentrate strength and resources on what matters.”
“What matters today is primarily extinguishing the fires, saving lives, and also preventing looting, avoiding pillaging in those areas that have been affected, where people have lost their belongings,” he added.
Hours earlier, after the previous COGRID on Saturday, the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Toha, compared these fires to another fatal tragedy that has affected Chile: the earthquake on February 27, 2010.
According to the Secretary of State, this fire primarily affecting the Valparaíso region could be the tragedy that has caused the most fatalities in Chile. There were 521 victims from the earthquake plus the tsunami.
Arson Suspected
Regarding the origin of the catastrophe, Mundaca stated, “Clearly, there is intentionality here, and therefore, all authorities will exercise the utmost rigor.”
In that sense, he warned that they will use “all possible prerogatives to find those responsible because the fires have turned into homicides.”
Those responsible for “the 56 people who have died, including minors, men, and women, cannot go unpunished. Therefore, we will not hesitate to apply the full force of the law,” he asserted.
“And we will pursue them, and we will search for them, and we will imprison them because human lives have been lost, and material goods of tremendous importance have been lost. Let no one doubt that we will exercise all our prerogatives to put the responsible individuals behind bars,” he declared.
Affected Homes
The Minister of Housing, Carlos Montes, indicated that so far, there are between 3,000 and 5,000 affected houses. However, he pointed out that it is still necessary to assess the degree of damage and obtain a more precise picture of the situation.
Montes stated that around 30% of the affected houses correspond to old complexes, while the remaining 70% includes irregular occupations and camps. He noted that the magnitude of the disaster and the diversity of the affected areas make it difficult to provide precise details at this moment.