TRANSCRIPT
Emergency Services in Chile are struggling against deadly bushfires which are leaving destruction in their wake, burning hundreds of hectares across the Valparaiso region in the centre of the country.
Local authorities have reported many people dead, with hundreds more missing.
Earlier in the day Chile's President, Gabriel Boric, warned that number is likely to rise as rescue crews continue their efforts.
“The official figure (death toll) now is 64 people dead. But this figure will grow. We know it will substantially grow. But the figures we are delivering are those confirmed by the forensic medical service.”
The fires broke out after a week of record high temperatures with the Vina Del Mar area being one of the most heavily affected, as over 1,600 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso are considered popular among tourists, housing one million local residents.
The governor of Valparaiso says some of the fires may have been caused intentionally.
Chile's President says if that is the case, the culprits will be made to answer for their crimes.
“It’s hard to think there are so horrible and heartless people who could be able to inflict so much pain. But if these people exist, we will search for them, we will find them, and they will have to face not only all of society’s rejection but also the law.”
Local authorities have imposed a 9pm curfew for the areas of Quilpe, Vina Del Mar and Villa Alemana.
They says this allows for further aid to come into the cities and help put out the fires and assist with the evacuation process.
Mr Boric, who is also the head of the emergency committee, has also announced a two-day mourning period for the entire country, starting from Monday.
“I want to communicate that I have decreed a national mourning for two days, starting February 5th, because it’s Chile as a whole that is suffering and crying for our deceased.”
The high temperatures, in excess of 40 degrees Celsius, and strong winds blowing in the area, are making the work of the firefighting crews extremely difficult, with over 90 fires burning across the Latin American nation.
According to local authorities, over 9,000 hectares have been burned in the Valparaiso region alone.
Professor Mark Howden is the director of the Institute of Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University.
Speaking to the BBC, he says the wildfires in Chile are largely due to climate change.
"When we look at what's happening in terms of sea surface temperatures... that's not the driver in that particular case of those fires. But when we look at the long term climate change impacts, we're seeing a significant drying out of that central part of Chile and that actually resulting in these very significant fire dangers. There've been very significant fires over there over the last several years."
An elderly couple from Vina Del Mar watched helplessly as their home was burned to ashes.
Maria Soledad Suarez says her husband was gathering provisions in case of such an incident, but they too were lost in the inferno.
"He (Sergio) always thought there would be a tragedy, an earthquake or something like that, and we would have been left with nothing to eat. So we had three fridges where we would have fruit, in the other (we had) chicken and red meat, and in the other (we had) vegetables. It was all lost. It was all burnt. There's not a trace of the fridges left."
Mr Boric has declared the country to be in a state of emergency since last Friday.
