Authorities in Chile have declared a "zone of catastrophe" for Las Condes, a commune at the foot of the Andes on the outskirts of the capital Santiago, after heavy rain triggered flash flooding that damaged buildings and vehicles.
The national disaster agency Senapred issued a red alert for at least 10 regional areas spanning about 50 kilometres, urging people to leave immediately. A central weather station near Santiago has recorded more than 60mm of rain in the past four days, the national meteorological agency reported.
At least six people were reported injured and taken to medical centres. Senapred said at least 11 aged care residents, along with staff and clients of a university health clinic in Las Condes, were evacuated, while 60 children were sheltering inside a technical college.
Newly elected President José Antonio Kast Rist said the government's disaster management committee had met, and that the catastrophe declaration was intended to "allocate all resources to address the emergency".
"We are facing an emergency of rapid activation in Las Condes with grave impacts to vehicles and homes in some streets, produced by flooding of water and mud," he said in a post on X.
Mauricio Lorca, national director of Chile's Geology and Mining Service, described the event as a "flash flow": a rapid flood of water generated in a very short time that drags large amounts of sediment and materials, which can affect riverbeds, rivers or slopes.
The Chilean Army said it had deployed specialist vehicles, infantry soldiers and emergency response teams to parts of Las Condes to help with clean-up and rescue efforts. Images from the scene show cars swept away or destroyed, an uprooted traffic light and a public bus trapped in floodwater and debris. Videos shared online by residents show dark floodwater moving rapidly, and some residents were seen escaping the rising waters on foot.