AFP, Santiago :
The death toll from devastating flash floods in Chile’s normally arid north rose to 23 today after five bodies were found, and the number of missing surged to 57, authorities said.
Torrential rains have soaked the Atacama region, home to the world’s driest desert, triggering flash floods that swept away entire villages in the Atacama and Antofagasta areas.
There are “23 people who have been killed and 57 missing, as well as 22,381 people who have been displaced, including 4,095 in temporary shelters,” said Ricardo Toro, director of the National Emergency Office (Onemi).
The death toll from devastating flash floods in Chile’s normally arid north rose to 23 today after five bodies were found, and the number of missing surged to 57, authorities said.
Torrential rains have soaked the Atacama region, home to the world’s driest desert, triggering flash floods that swept away entire villages in the Atacama and Antofagasta areas.
There are “23 people who have been killed and 57 missing, as well as 22,381 people who have been displaced, including 4,095 in temporary shelters,” said Ricardo Toro, director of the National Emergency Office (Onemi).
