Death toll in Chile forest fires rises to 24

Forest fires have killed 24 people and injured 1,182 others as a blistering heat wave grips south-central Chile, according to a new toll released by authorities.

The blaze, fueled by moderate to high winds and temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, destroyed about 270,000 hectares and 1,081 homes in five days, authorities said.

“The death toll has risen to 24 after the death of a person hospitalized in the city of Angol, in the Araucanía region,” said Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve,

The government has declared a state of disaster in several areas in the centre of the country. This agricultural and forested area has turned into scenes of ruin.

On Sunday, President Gabriel Poric attended a ceremony for a volunteer firefighter who died in the city of Coronel in the Biobío Region.

Then, he headed to the city of Concepción, 510 kilometres south of Santiago, where he inspected the affected areas.

E.M