Chile: the island of Mocha cut off from the mainland following air link concerns
The Mocha Island lighthouse off the coast of Chile (illustrative image).
© Bairon Henriquez/Cratuve Commons
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In the south of Chile, Mocha Island located about thirty kilometers from the coast is a real wild and quiet paradise for tourists.
But for more than a month it has been transformed into a prison for the 600 people who live there permanently.
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With our correspondent in Santiago,
Naïla Derroisné
The small plane that transported the inhabitants of the island of Mocha to the mainland no longer takes off and the company does not have the means to repair it.
It is therefore the residents who have to put their hands in their pockets to pay for tickets up to 16 times more expensive.
With the company's old tariffs a ticket was worth 6 euros.
Today, the inhabitants must use private planes for a ticket cost of 94 euros.
'
Totally isolated
'
“
The difference is huge!
And I think that 80% of the inhabitants of the island cannot afford to pay such a price.
They then find themselves totally isolated,
explains Mariela Hahn who lives on Mocha Island.
People are worried and they feel abandoned.
It's getting complicated to live here.
And in addition, a large part of the population are elderly people
.
On the island, there is no doctor, only a few carers.
“
Residents cannot go for examinations or attend their medical appointments because the tickets are too expensive.
There are people whose state of health is fragile and they cannot do their checks, it could lead to fatal situations
, ”warns the young woman.
Financial aid
Mariela, who works in the tourism sector, has also seen her expenses increase.
"
The price of perishable food that is imported by air has increased by more than 100%
," she laments.
The Chilean authorities have set up financial aid for the inhabitants while waiting to find a new company to provide flights between the island and the mainland.
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