Landslide in southern Chile leaves 3 dead, 15 missing

Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile — A mudslide fueled by heavy rains swept over a village in southern Chile on Saturday, leaving at least three people dead and 15 missing, officials said.

Rain caused a river to overflow and the side of a hill to collapse, burying 20 of the 200 houses in Villa Santa Lucia in the Los Lagos region, located 790 miles (1,272 kilometres) south of Chile’s capital, Santiago.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Madmud Aleuy said the three confirmed dead are two women and an unidentified tourist, while 15 others remain missing.

Rescuers are looking for survivors and President Michel Bachelet said on her Twitter account that emergency services are in the area “to care for those affected.

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Some of the injured were taken by helicopter to medical centres. Two families were evacuated because of a fire caused by the slide, authorities said.

Water and electricity service to the area was knocked out.

The alert level in the area had been raised to red because of the persistent rains.