Death Toll From Chile Floods Rise To 14 As Clean-up Begins

Chile

Officials in Chile have said that 14 people were killed and 20 others were still missing after flash floods devastated the Atacama region in the north of the country last week. BBC reports:

The rains, which started on Tuesday, were the worst in 80 years to fall in the region, one of the driest on Earth. Almost 11,000 people have been affected and more than 4,500 are in shelters. Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said entire towns had been left without drinking water.

“We as a country will have to put a lot of effort in to get out of this situation,” Mr Penailillo said. Rivers burst their banks after heavy rains in the Andes sent floodwater down into the valleys and towns below. The desert town of Chanaral was among the hardest hit with rivers of mud covering many of its streets.

In Tierra Amarilla, emergency workers rescued 13 miners who had been cut off in a remote mining camp for five days.