Gabriel Boric, the President of Chile, has declared a state of emergency and called on the armed forces to assist in combating the fire and addressing its aftermath.
According to local authorities, the death toll reaches dozens, and hundreds of people are considered missing. The threat to residents remains: more than 100,000 people have already been evacuated from dangerous areas.
The most significant destruction has been recorded in the port city of Penco, which is home to about 50,000 citizens.
A substantial part of this settlement has been destroyed by fire, as confirmed by video recordings made by witnesses of the tragedy.
The material damage is assessed as catastrophic. Currently, rescue services continue their work to extinguish the fires and search for the missing.
