Hundreds of People Are Missing as the Death Toll From Chile's Wildfires Reaches 123

Volunteers in central Chile are trying to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris in neighborhoods destroyed by forest fires that have killed at least 123 people in densely populated areas over the past three days

By Associated Press
| Feb. 5, 2024, at 12:29 p.m.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Volunteers in central Chile tried to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris Monday from neighborhoods devastated by wildfires over the past several days, as officials raised the death toll to 123. Hundreds of people remain missing.

The fires appeared to have diminished by Monday morning after burning intensely since Friday on the eastern edge of the city of Viña del Mar. Two other towns in the Valparaíso region, Quilpé and Villa Alemana, also have been hit hard, and President Gabriel Boric said Sunday that at least 3,000 homes had been burnt down in the area.

An additional 10 victims were added to the death toll on Monday afternoon, said Marisol Prado, the director of Chile’s Forensic Medical Service.

Prado said that many bodies were in bad condition and difficult to identify, but added that forensic workers would be taking samples of genetic material from people who have reported missing relatives.

More:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-02-05/hundreds-of-people-are-missing-as-the-death-toll-from-chiles-wildfires-reaches-122

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A view of neighborhoods burn during forest fires in Vina del Mar, Chile, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Areas around Vina del Mar were among the hardest-hit by fires that broke out in central Chile three day earlier, resulting in the deaths of more than a hundred people. (AP Photo/ Esteban Felix)