SANTIAGO DE CHILE, Feb 25 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The number of deaths due to the fires in region of Valparaíso, Chile, increased to 134, while five people remain missing and several are in critical condition.
The incident affected over 10,000 hectares in rural and urban areas of the communes of Viña del Mar, Villa Alemana and Quilpué, and devastated thousands of homes, industrial areas, small businesses and the National Botanical Garden.
According to a report provided by the authorities, the death toll increased to 134 in the last hours, of which 124 were identified.
The regional ministerial secretary of Justice and Human Rights, Paula Gutiérrez, reported that five people are still missing.
Of those admitted to hospitals with burns, 29 remain in critical condition.
The fires are considered the worst catastrophe in the country after the 2010 earthquake.
“It means too big a dilemma for us. We are talking about more than 18 neighborhoods, 33 irregular settlements, more than five thousand homes affected and thousands and thousands of families who have lost everything,” said the mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti.
The Minister of Finance, Mario Marcel, estimated the cost of reconstruction in the damaged areas at more than one billion dollars. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
