Survivors of Chile wildfires search through debris as death toll reaches 122
Volunteers in central Chile are trying to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris in neighborhoods destroyed by forest fires that have killed at least 122 people in densely populated areas over the past three days
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Volunteers in central Chile tried to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris Monday from neighborhoods devastated by wildfires over the past several days, as officials raised the death toll to 122. Hundreds of people remain missing.
The fires appeared to have diminished by Monday morning after burning intensely since Friday on the eastern edge of the city of Viña del Mar. Two other towns in the Valparaiso region, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also have been hit hard, and President Gabriel Boric said Sunday that at least 3,000 homes had been burnt down in the area.
An additional 10 victims were added to the death toll on Monday afternoon, bringing it to 122, said Marisol Prado, the director of Chile’s Forensic Medical Service.
Prado said that many bodies were in bad condition and difficult to identify, but added that forensic workers would be taking samples of genetic material from people who have reported missing relatives.
