Firefighters fought Sunday, February 5 against dozens of forest fires that broke out in Chile, one of the most important natural disasters for years in the Latin American country, which deplored at least 24 dead and nearly one thousand wounded.
The government of President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency in three mainly rural regions in the south of the country - Biobio, Nuble and Arauncania - in order to speed up the arrival of relief supplies.
A handful of countries have pledged to help Chile, including sending planes and expert teams, as blazes ravaged three forest and agricultural regions near the heart of the Pacific coast.
French President Emmanuel Macron said via Twitter overnight from Sunday to Monday that "the Chilean people can count on the support of France to fight against this scourge", calling the fires "tragic".
Tragic fires ravage several regions of Chile.
All my thoughts are with the families of the victims and the heroes who are struggling in the face of the flames.
The Chilean people can count on the support of France to fight against this scourge.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 5, 2023
Some 270,000 hectares have been ravaged by the fires, according to an official announcement made on Sunday, against a backdrop of a heat wave complicating the efforts of firefighters to extinguish the flames.
In some areas, the summer temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.
With Reuters
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