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Flooding kills two, displaces 2,000 in Chile

A child carries a bucket containing mud after rain caused flooding in northern Chile, May 13, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

Severe flooding, triggered by torrential rain, has killed at least two people and caused material damage.

Floodwaters inundated the city of Chanaral in the Atacama region after a nearby river burst its banks on Saturday.

The deluge caused damage to public and private property in the area and forced more than 2,000 people out of their homes. It also left several cars and other vehicles stranded on the waterlogged streets.

People walk along a road covered with mud after rain caused flooding in northern Chile, May 13, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

At least 14,000 people are without electricity while more than 90,000 people in the region do not have access to fresh drinking water at the moment, according to local authorities.

Chilean Vice President Mario Fernandez, however, said everything was under control.

The Chilean government’s national emergencies office, known as ONEMI, has put the area on red alert and reported that several communities, including Chanaral, had been evacuated.

Over 1,300 are taking refuge in shelters and some 3,000 homes are believed to have been affected, according to ONEMI.


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