In Pictures

Photos: State of ‘catastrophe’ as downpours hit Chile

Heavy rains lashed much of the country, damaging homes, flooding roads, knocking out power and causing mudslides.

People wade through a flooded road after storms overflowed the Pichilo River, in Arauco province, Chile. [Amilix Fornerod/AP Photo]

Heavy rains have battered southern and central Chile, killing one person and causing damage to hundreds of homes as authorities declared a state of catastrophe in several regions of the country.

The person died in the southern city of Linares on Thursday when a street lamp post fell after hours-long downpours and strong winds, the SENAPRED disaster response service said.

Chile’s weather service issued the highest level of alarm, covering some 14 million of the 20 million people living in six of the country’s 16 regions, but this was later lifted as authorities said 80 percent of the storm had passed, and was headed for neighbouring Argentina.

In the latest official report, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said “the worst of this frontal system is behind us, but we cannot let our guard down”.

Prior to the arrival of the floodwaters, Chile’s central region had battled severe drought for 15 years.

“We need boats to get people out,” a resident in one of the affected towns, Curanilahue, told national television.

Curanilahue, about 600km (373 miles) south of the capital Santiago, has been hard hit as the Curanilahue and Las Ranas rivers overflowed after the area received 350mm (13.8 inches) of rain in just hours – more than in 2023 as a whole.

About 2,000 houses in the area were damaged. President Gabriel Boric, in a message from Sweden where he was on an official visit, warned that the rains “will continue very strongly”.

Earlier on Thursday, before boarding a plane to visit the affected areas, Toha said a state of “catastrophe” had been declared in five regions to expedite the deployment of resources.

SENAPRED said the downpours have affected about 3,300 people, down from an initial estimate of 4,300.

In Santiago, which also saw heavy rains, schools were closed for the day and authorities urged people to limit their movements.

In the city of Vina del Mar, experts worked to save a 12-storey apartment building at risk of collapse after the rains caused a massive sinkhole underneath it.

The weather service said a cold front over the country was accompanied by an “atmospheric river” – a strip of air carrying huge amounts of moisture.

Men sweep water away after storms flooded the area in Curanilahue, Chile — More than 2,000 homes have been damaged and 60,000 have lost power. [Amilix Fornerod/AP Photo]

View of the Mapocho River after heavy rains in the commune of Talagante, Santiago — Storms have drenched central and southern Chile throughout the week, displacing people and closing schools. [Javier Torres/AFP]

Rescue workers push an inflatable boat on the overflowing Pichilo River after storms hit the area, in Arauco province, Chile — Rescue workers in Arauco province push an inflatable boat on the overflowing Pichilo River after storms hit the area. [Amilix Fornerod/AP Photo]

A drone view shows a flooded area affected by heavy rains in south-central Chile, in Ramadillas, Chile — A drone view shows a flooded area affected by heavy rains in in Ramadillas, south-central Chile. [Juan Gonzalez/Reuters]

Wet boxes lie outside a grocery shop after storms hit Curanilahue, Chile. [Amilix Fornerod/AP Photo]

A person removes mud from his flooded house in Curanilahue, Biobio region, Chile, Biobio region, Chile — A person removes mud from his flooded house in Curanilahue, Biobio region. [Guillermo Salgado/AFP]

Residents stand on a flooded street after heavy rain in Santiago. [Matias Basualdo/AP Photo]

A person removes water from his flooded house in Curanilahue, Biobio region — Chile has some 84,000km (52,195 miles) of coastline, more than 1,250 rivers, and rugged topography with no more than 20 percent of its area being flat terrain, leaving it vulnerable to natural disasters and hindering rescue efforts. [Guillermo Salgado/AFP]

A woman with an umbrella walks by a mural by artist Elena Ho on a rainy day in Santiago, Chile — A woman with an umbrella walks by a mural by artist Elena Ho on a rainy day in Santiago. [Matias Basualdo/AP Photo]