At least three dead and hundreds displaced by heavy rains in Chile | Stories of the Flood

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast says he is going to the Biobio region to see the damage caused by the floods.

Torrential rain and strong winds have hit central and southern Chile, leaving at least three people dead and hundreds displaced.

President Jose Antonio Kast he announced on Friday that he was going to the Biobio area, which was the most affected, to see the damage and the response of the authorities.

“A lot of rain on the road, but it will pass,” Kast wrote on social media, showing himself on the road. “Take care.”

More rain is expected on Friday in the central part of the country.

SENAPRED, the country’s disaster relief agency, said 466 people are still living in shelters, some of whom have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Another 158 people have been isolated due to rising water levels, mainly in the province of Coquimbo. Alicia Cebrian, head of the agency, said seven people were injured.

SENAPRED announced the evacuation of the Campamento Ribera del Rio area, near the town of Talagante, due to the rising of the rivers.

Flooding has disrupted life in Chile, with schools in some parts of the country suspending classes on Friday. State-owned mining company Codelco said it had suspended operations at Andina due to the storm.

About 257,000 people remain without power, mostly in the south.

One of the people killed in the storm was a road maintenance worker in the southern town of Negrete. One person fell while repairing a roof in Temuco, and a third was seriously injured by electricity in the capital, Santiago.

Kast, who campaigned for the 2025 election on a tough, anti-crime platform, has pledged support for flood-affected organizations.

He was inaugurated as president in March, and the flood comes less than six months into his tenure.