Disasters & Accidents

Valparaiso devastating fires death toll rose to 134 weeks after events

Santiago de Chile, Feb. 23 (EFE) – The number of people killed in the fires that burned more than 10,000 hectares in the Valparaiso region earlier this month rose to 134, according to Paula Gutiérrez, secretary of the Regional Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

The agency also reported that the total number of identified dead is 124, and according to official figures, which are not yet final, some 12,000 homes were affected.

“We are calling on people who suspect that their relatives are still in the Legal Medical Service to contact any Legal Medical Service in the country so that we can take a DNA sample and make the identification,” Gutiérrez told the media.

The fires, which according to initial investigations were arson, mainly affected four municipalities – Viña del Mar, Linares, Villa Alemana, and Quilpué.

The tragedy is considered the worst in Chile since the deadly 2010 earthquake.

The fires broke out on the morning of Feb. 2 and spread rapidly due to strong gusts of wind in the afternoon and extreme temperatures.

The high population density in difficult-to-access terrain, added to Chile’s prolonged drought, complicated firefighting efforts. EFE

mfm/mcd/ics

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