SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile has declared a state of emergency after unusually heavy rainfall battered the country’s normally arid northern regions, killing at least 10 people, injuring 17 others, and leaving four people missing, authorities said on Monday.
The severe weather has devastated the regions of Coquimbo and Atacama, where intense rainfall is rare. According to Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED), more than 1,100 homes have been destroyed or severely damaged as floodwaters and mudslides swept through affected communities.
SENAPRED Director Alicia Cebrián confirmed the latest casualty figures during a press briefing, saying emergency teams were continuing search and rescue operations while assessing the full extent of the damage.
Describing the situation as “increasingly serious,” President José Antonio Kast announced the state of emergency on Monday, enabling the government to deploy the military, restrict movement in affected areas, and rapidly mobilize humanitarian assistance and emergency resources.
The relentless rainfall has caused rivers to overflow, cutting off roads and isolating several communities. In Coquimbo, mudslides and widespread power outages have disrupted access to clean drinking water, complicating relief efforts.
Deputy Interior Minister Máximo Pavez said the intensity of the storm was unprecedented.
“What normally rains in a month fell in an hour,” Pavez told reporters, describing the downpour as “abnormal and extreme.”
Meteorologists say the scale of the rainfall is unlike anything Chile has experienced in recent decades. Arnaldo Zúñiga, an official with the country’s national meteorological service, said the northern regions had not seen such intense precipitation in about 20 years.
“We haven’t had a situation like this in quite a few years,” Zúñiga said.
Emergency crews remain on the ground clearing debris, restoring essential services, and searching for the missing as authorities urge residents to avoid flooded areas and heed evacuation orders where necessary.
The disaster is especially striking because northern Chile is home to some of the driest places on Earth, including parts of the Atacama Desert, making such extreme rainfall highly unusual. Authorities continue to monitor weather conditions as recovery and relief operations intensify.