Santiago, 31/3 (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - Jumlah korban jiwa akibat hujan lebat, banjir dan lumpur longsor belum lama ini di Chile Uara telah naik jadi 17, sementara 20 orang lagi belum ditemukan, kata Kantor Keadaan Darurat Nasional di Kementerian Dalam Negeri (ONEMI) pada Senin (30/3).
"Jumlah korban tewas akibat hujan lebat dan banjir pekan lalu di Wilayah Antofagasta, Atacama dan Coquimbo naik jadi 17, dan jumlah orang yang hilang ditetapkan sebanyak 20," kata Direktur ONEMI Ricardo Toro.
Menurut keterangan tak resmi dan belum dikonfirmasi, orang yang hilang berjumlah 89, kata jaringan berita Chile, 20 Hours.
Pemerintah telah mengakui jumlah korban yang hilang mungkin akan bertambah saat banjir surut, sehingga memungkinkan awak kebersihan memindahkan puing dan membuat akses ke kota kecil yang sebelumnya terkucil, demikian laporan Xinhua --yang dipantau Antara di Jakarta, Selasa.
"Kondisinya suram," kata Presiden Chile Michelle Bachelet pada Jumat (27/3).
Chile Utara dinyatakan sebagai daerah bencana setelah hujan lebat pada Rabu (25/3) membawa curah hujan paling banyak dalam 80 tahun, sehingga mengakibatkan banjir di berbagai kota kecil dan jalan raya, membuat banyak warga terkucil dan mengganggu layanan dasar, seperti pasokan air dan listrik.
Wilayah gurun di Chile, Atacama, tempat warga tak terbiasa menghadapi hujan lebat, mencatat 14 korban tewas, dan Antofagasta mencatat tiga korban tewas.
Sebanyak 26.406 orang telah meninggalkan tempat tinggal mereka, dan 5.084 orang ditampung di berbagai pusat penampungan darurat.
Di Atacama, pemerintah menyatakan 5.000 rumah mengalami rusak parah.
17 KILLED, 20 MISSING IN WAKE OF N. CHILE FLOODS
Santiago, March 31 (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - The death toll from recent heavy rains, flooding and mudslides in northern Chile has climbed to 17, while 20 people remain missing, the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said Monday.
"The number of deaths from last week's floods and downpours in the regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo was raised to 17, with the number of missing people maintained at 20," ONEMI Director Ricardo Toro said.
The unofficial, as yet unconfirmed number of missing was at 89, Chile's 24 Hours news network reported.
Authorities have acknowledged the number of victims will continue to rise as flood waters subside, allowing cleanup crews to remove debris and access previously isolated towns.
"The outlook is bleak," Chile's President Michelle Bachelet said on Friday.
Northern Chile was declared a catastrophe zone after torrential rains Wednesday dumped the largest amount of rainfall in 80 years, flooding inland towns and roadways, isolating communities and disrupting basic services, such as water and electricity.
Chile's desert Atacama region, where residents are unaccustomed to heavy rains, registered 14 of the fatalities, and Antofagasta, the remaining three.
Some 26,406 people have been driven from their homes, and 5,084 are being housed at emergency shelters.
In Atacama, authorities said 5,000 homes suffered major structural damage.