Chile firefighters pull bodies from rubble as blaze death toll hits 122
Vina del Mar, Chile Reuters The death toll from wildfires raging across central Chile hit 122 on Monday as helicopters dumped tons of water on blazes and emergency crews told Reuters they were still finding bodies buried in the wreckage three days after the fires took hold. The toll from Chile’s worst natural disaster in […]
Updated: Forest fires kill 51 in Chile, menace urban areas
Updated: 4:30pm (AEDT) Reuters Forest fires raging in central Chile have killed at least 51 people and the death toll is likely to keep climbing, authorities said on Saturday, as emergency services battled to snuff out flames threatening urban areas. Black smoke billowed into the sky over many parts of the Valparaiso region, home to […]
Chile President laments “tragedy” as wildfires kill 64; toll seen rising
Reuters Fires devastating parts of central Chile have killed at least 64 people and the country faces a “tragedy of very great magnitude,” President Gabriel Boric said on Sunday, as he warned that the death toll likely will surge in coming days. Wildfires that began several days ago are menacing the outer edges of Viña […]
Chileans reject conservative constitution to replace dictatorship-era text – early results
Santiago/Valparaiso, Chile Reuters Chileans on Sunday rejected a new conservative constitution to replace its current text that dates back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. With 27.81 per cent of ballot boxes tallied, a total of 54.61 per cent Chileans rejected the new text while 45.39 per cent voted in favour of it. A Chilean Navy […]
Housing crisis: Deadly Chile shantytown fire reflects struggle to handle migrant boom
JUAN GONZALEZ and ALEXANDER VILLEGAS, of Reuters, reports…
Argentine election winner Milei greeted globally by mix of hostility and support
Reuters The victory of Argentina’s libertarian President-elect Javier Milei at the weekend has sparked mixed reactions worldwide – including hostility from some Latin American leftists, tentative support from others, and a pledge from China to work with him despite his critical comments. Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, channeled voter anger over a deep economic crisis and […]
UN chief, Chile’s Boric to visit Antarctica before COP28 climate summit
Santiago, Chile Reuters United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will travel to Antarctica this week with Chilean President Gabriel Boric to observe the impact of rising temperatures caused by climate change on the continent, he said on Monday. “Scorching temperatures mean Antarctic ice is melting ever-faster, with deadly consequences for people around the world,” Guterres […]
Cuban athletes seek asylum, new life in Chile after Panamerican Games
Santiago, ChileReuters On a rare rainy spring day in Santiago, a group of Cuban athletes toured a gym, one of their first public activities since they represented their country at the Panamerican Games – and then asked to stay in Chile. “We already feel calmer; God willing we get everything we’re hoping for,” said Yunia […]
Voices from the diaspora: In Chile, Palestinian community makes its voice heard on Gaza
ALEXANDER VILLEGAS, of Reuters, reports from Chile which has the largest Palestinian population outside the US…
Fire in Chile immigrant neighbourhood kills 14, including eight children
Santiago, ChileReuters A fire in an informal immigrant neighbourhood in the southern Chilean city of Coronel left 14 dead, most of them children, on Monday night, according to local authorities. Hugo Cuevas, the city’s chief prosecutor, said the victims appear to be undocumented Venezuelan immigrants. Members of the emergency personnel work at the scene of […]