Chile Wildfire Death Toll Rises To 131
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published February 06, 2024 | 11:37 PM
The death toll from a weekend inferno that razed hilltop neighborhoods in a coastal region of Chile rose to 131 on Tuesday, as forensic teams carried out the painstaking process of identifying the deceased
Viña del Mar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Feb, 2024) The death toll from a weekend inferno that razed hilltop neighborhoods in a coastal region of Chile rose to 131 on Tuesday, as forensic teams carried out the painstaking process of identifying the deceased.
Five days after wildfires tore through the crowded communities, fueled by winds and a brutal heatwave, firefighters are still searching for victims.
Volunteers have been helping clear streets left strewn with charred cars, debris and ash after the world's third-deadliest wildfire this century, which left some 20,000 people homeless.
Most of the fatalities have been in Vina del Mar, a popular tourist spot known for its beaches and botanical garden -- which was razed.
The state forensic agency reported eight more deaths after the previous tally, and said only 35 of the victims have been identified since the fire devastated the region 120 kilometers (74 miles) north of the capital Santiago.
"Medical teams have carried out 82 autopsies," the forensic office said in a statement.
The slow process left many desperate for news of their missing family members, while others just wanted closure.
"We need them to come and remove the bodies of our relatives, that's all we ask," said Claudia Salazar, whose aunt was the nursery manager at the Botanical Garden, where she lived in a home that was devoured by fire.
The director of the medical examiner's office, Marisol Prado, said forensic workers would begin taking samples from relatives with missing loved ones "to do DNA dentification.
"
Currently identification is being done via biometric and fingerprint tests.
- Venezuelan migrants pitch in -
Firefighters are still fighting nine active blazes in the region, however they are now considered under control and no longer a threat to urban areas.
As offers of help poured in from abroad, Venezuelans -- who form the largest migrant community in Chile, and are often stigmatized -- rallied to offer their assistance.
Venezuelans who work for online food delivery services and have motorbikes, pasted signs reading "humanitarian aid" to their backpacks, carrying water and food to the neighborhoods where they often work.
According to a study by the private Diego Portales university, about 30,000 Venezuelans work as food delivery drivers in the country.
"Maybe we don't have money, but we do what we can, what is within our reach, bringing a lot of water, above all," said Jeraldin Rincon, a nursing student, who fled the economic crisis back home in 2017.
The fires are being driven by a summer heatwave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon. Scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of natural disasters such as wildfires.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Ukraine trying to 'stabilise' front as Russia pushes northeast
SPSC announces final results of Combined Competitive Examination 2020
Slovak PM is able to speak few sentences in serious condition
Agriculture dept using all resources to obtain cotton sowing target
Tunisia president blasts foreign criticism of arrests
Court seeks arguments in PTI founder's bail plea
'Good neighbour': The small-town Slovak writer suspected of PM shooting
Russia expels UK defence attache in tit-for-tat move
Court reserves verdict in PTI founder's acquittal plea
Cannes film shocks with fairy-tale horror on abortion
Turkey court jails Kurdish leader for 42 years over 2014 unrest
KP Governor; Aftab Sherpao discuss political situation of KP
More Stories From World
-
China 'can't have it both ways' with Russia and West: US
40 minutes ago -
US military says aid pier anchored to Gaza beach
40 minutes ago -
Ukraine trying to 'stabilise' front as Russia pushes northeast
58 minutes ago -
Slovak PM is able to speak few sentences in serious condition
1 hour ago -
Tunisia president blasts foreign criticism of arrests
1 hour ago -
'Good neighbour': The small-town Slovak writer suspected of PM shooting
58 minutes ago
-
Russia expels UK defence attache in tit-for-tat move
58 minutes ago -
Turkey court jails Kurdish leader for 42 years over 2014 unrest
2 hours ago -
Nigeria lawmaker's plan for mass wedding of orphans sparks uproar
2 hours ago -
Arab League calls for UN peacekeepers in Palestinian territories
2 hours ago -
Chad junta chief officially wins election
2 hours ago -
Divided Slovakia at 'turning point' after PM shooting
2 hours ago