Forest fire broke out in Chile, a South American country on 2 February. The officials in the country shared that the death count may hit more than 100 and many are missing.
On Friday, a wildfire suddenly broke out in the forest area of Valparaiso, Chile. Due to this thousands of houses have been burnt down. The fire department took action immediately and the rescue operations were intensified.
Impact of the deadly fire
Unfortunately, a famous botanical garden in Chile which was established in 1931 was engulfed in this deadly forest fire. These wildfires in Chile have also affected other Latin American countries. Due to this, a state emergency has been declared in Chile’s coastal cities.
The smoke in the cities forced the residents to flee their homes in key areas and some residents were trapped in their homes. At the same time, authorities said that 200 people were missing in the area around the city.
Government’s action
Speaking about the incident on Sunday, the country’s President Gabriel Boric said, “Monday and Tuesday will be observed as days of national mourning in memory of the victims of the wildfire. The death toll may rise,” he announced. The governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Muntaga, announced on Sunday that the curfew would be enforced in the towns of Viña del Mar, Quilpu, Villa Alemana and Limache.
He also said that this will enable the authorities to focus on extinguishing the fire. An official of the country’s Ministry confirmed that the number of people died in the deadly forest fire has increased to 112. Out of these 32 bodies have been identified.
Wildfire – 2023
Similar forest fire accident in Chile in February 2023, destroyed 4,00,000 hectares and more than 22 people were killed. Scientists have warned that natural disasters such as forest fires are likely to increase due to warming caused by climate change.
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