With heavy and unrelenting torrential rains over South America, many parts of Chile have witnessed floods with mudslides causing widespread panic and loss to life and property. The capital city of the Chile, Santiago is one of the worst affected areas in the country.
Three people have lost their lives in the torrential rains and landslides in central Chile during this weekend. There are more than nineteen people remain missing in this weather fiasco. The rainfall initiated by the storm prompted mudslide in the Maipo River.
These rains coupled with landslides have ensured that the water supply system in the greater Santiago affected close to 5 million people. The debris brought by the landslides and mudslides are the reason why water supply has been choked.
On Monday water supply services had been restored to 50% of the residential and commercial areas that suffered cuts was said by the Aguas Andinas water company. Up in the Andes mountain range, more than 400 people remain stranded with all communication lost.
Post the water supply being cut off, residents went out to collect water from the 200 emergency taps opened by the authorities, while the rest of residents flocked the shopping malls and departmental stores to buy out all the water bottles.
Image Credit: Esteban Garay/EPA