The confirmed death toll from Chile's forest fires has risen to 112. 32 bodies have been identified so far, the Chilean Interior Ministry reported on Monday, according to international news agencies. The death toll is expected to rise much further: according to the local mayor, around 370 people are missing in the coastal town of Viña del Mar alone.
The forest fires have caused extensive damage in the central Valparaíso region, about 100 kilometers from the capital Santiago. Hundreds of houses, buildings and historic sites have been reduced to ashes. The disaster area extends over 26,000 hectares. At this moment, forty forest fires are still raging, which are being fought by almost three thousand firefighters, soldiers and volunteers.
According to the Chilean fire brigade in the Valparaíso region, some of the forest fires that started on Friday were ignited. Firefighters are said to have seen new fires being started while extinguishing the fire. The fact that the fire was then able to spread quickly is due to persistent drought and above-average temperatures in the area.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared two days of national mourning on Monday and Tuesday. “All of Chile is suffering. But we will get up again,” said Boric, who visited several places in the disaster area this weekend.
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