A severe storm, which brought torrential rain, hail and strong winds, struck about two-thirds of Chile yesterday, Thursday, leaving at least three people dead and another 76 injured, according to government figures.

Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado announced “the deaths of three people during the state of emergency.”

The extreme weather event, which began affecting the Latin American country the day before yesterday, Wednesday, and is expected to continue until at least the day after tomorrow, Sunday, has also resulted in five other people being injured, mainly in the south.

Due to the high waves, many homes near the coast in the Biobío region, about 500 kilometers south of Santiago, suffered extensive damage and debris, including furniture, which was scattered across the streets, the French News Agency reported.

Now: Increased rainfall and storm surges in Valparaíso. #FrontalSystem #Valparaíso #Chile #Storm pic.twitter.com/EtNLlwsKf0

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Earlier yesterday, the government announced that approximately 500,000 people were without power, primarily due to trees falling on power lines.

Nationwide, “590,824 households are without power,” or “7.3%” of customers, according to the Ministry of Energy.

Due to high waves and gusts of wind reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour, many ports across the country drastically curtailed operations.

Emergency response teams were deployed in various sectors, primarily to assess the most serious damage. Schools were ordered to remain closed yesterday in nine prefectures.

The country had not experienced such a powerful and prolonged storm in about twenty years, according to Arnoldo Suniga, a meteorologist with the Chilean Meteorological Service.

Source: Skai.gr