Chile: 50,000 evacuated due to fires, charred bodies found

Penco (Chile), 18 January. (LaPresse) – Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency in the central region of Biobio and the neighbouring region of Ñuble, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Santiago. The declaration of a state of emergency allows for greater coordination with the army to quell the approximately twenty fires that have so far forced 50,000 people to evacuate. ‘All resources are available,’ Boric wrote on social media. Firefighters are struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather are hampering their efforts, with temperatures exceeding 38 degrees. Charred bodies have been found in fields, homes, along roads and in cars.