Authorities said Sunday that the wildfires in Chile have so far killed at least 99 people, with officials calling it one of the deadliest in the country’s history.
The national disaster service SENAPRED chief Alvaro Hormazabal said firefighters were battling 34 blazes as of Sunday morning, with 43 others under control.
Earlier, President Gabriel Boric while visiting the Quilpue area — affected by wildfires — noted that the death toll was expected to rise, as he also termed the inferno catastrophic since the 2010 earthquake and tsunami.
The coastal region of Valparaiso witnessed scorching temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius during the weekend, complicating the current rescue operations.
“Weather conditions are going to continue to be complicated,” Hormazabal said.
