Overview
- Authorities updated casualty figures on Tuesday to say 13 people have died and seven are missing after prolonged rains that began around July 14.
- Chile's disaster agency SENAPRED reported about 104,271 people stranded by swollen rivers and washed-out roads and more than 4,000 displaced with 1,031 in emergency shelters.
- Preliminary housing assessments show at least 81 homes destroyed and more than 20,000 damaged or under evaluation, and rescue teams are still reaching isolated towns by helicopter and convoy.
- Government officials declared a state of catastrophe for Coquimbo and Huasco, deployed military commanders and air assets for search-and-rescue, and said they will pursue disciplinary action against electricity distributors for slow restorations.
- Meteorologists link the deluge to the return of El Niño after years of drought, raising risks to agriculture and transport corridors such as Route 5 and meaning river levels could keep rising even after the rain eases.