At Least 23 Dead İn Chile Floods

At least 23 people have been killed in torrential rains and flash flooding in northern Chile, authorities said Wednesday.



Fifty-seven others are missing after torrents of rain and flood waters rushed through communities last week in the desert region, washing away homes and destroying roads.



It is the worst natural disaster to hit Chile since a powerful earthquake in February 2010 killed more than 500 and left thousands of others homeless.



More than 20,000 people have been left homeless as a result of the regional flooding, with 4,000 housed in government shelters.



President Michelle Bachelet has canceled trips to Ecuador and Panama in order to continue to lead the government's response to the emergency.



Supplies of electricity and drinking water have been restored to much of the affected region but the main task for authorities is to clear roads and homes of thousands of tons of mud left by the flooding.



Many parts of the north-south Pan-American Highway have been left impassable.



The government has sent 1,600 tons of food supplies, water and building material to the region while doctors are leading a campaign to vaccinate against tetanus, hepatitis and other diseases, thousands of residents who may have been exposed to the unclean water.



For the most part, Chileans have banded together to share food, water and transport. But some have taken advantage of the chaos and looted homes and businesses, forcing police to impose a nighttime curfew in the worst-affected cities.



Mining companies operating in inland mountains have also begun to evacuate staff trapped since last week by heavy snow and impassable roads at high altitude camps.



Canada's Kinross Gold said it would evacuate workers Wednesday from its Maricunga and La Coipa mines, after working around the clock to clear snow from the road.



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