One dead, over 11,000 homeless after storm hits south-central Chile

SANTIAGO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- An ongoing storm lashing south-central Chile has to date left one person dead and 11,126 people homeless after damaging more than 8,900 homes, authorities said on Monday.

The frontal system hit the southern part of the Biobio region Monday with heavy rain and is expected to drench other parts, including the capital Santiago, as it moves northward, said Alicia Cebrian, deputy director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service, at a press conference.

"We expect that during the night it might rain in the (central) Metropolitan region and it will continue to head north until it reaches the southern part of the (northern) Coquimbo region," Cebrian said.

Cebrian warned of potential mudslides where heavy downpours have softened land, noting that the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service has called for residents of four districts in the town of Arauco, Biobio, to evacuate due to the Pichilo River bursting its banks.

Rains hit Chile last week, impacting nine regions, from Coquimbo to Los Rios, before subsiding. And lighter showers are expected in the same regions Tuesday. ■