Six injured as heavy rains batter Chile's capital, sweeping away cars and flooding homes

By Malek Fouda Published on 09/10/2026 - 6:40 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Authorities have placed 10 other Chilean districts on high alert as risks of potential mudslides and rain-related emergencies threaten to batter the region. Heavy rains battered Chile’s capital Santiago and its surrounding regions on Thursday, triggering mudslides that swept cars through streets, flooded homes, forced residents to evacuate and injured at least six people, according to authorities. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Chilean President José Antonio Kast declared a state of emergency in Las Condes, a wealthy suburb east of Santiago, giving government agencies more power to respond as torrential rains turned key roads into impassable waterways. Vehicles are partially inundated in muddy floodwaters after heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Las Condes district of Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 Esteban Felix/Copyright 2026. The AP. All rights reserved The district's mayor, Catalina San Martín, said 14.4 centimetres of rain had fallen in recent days — about nine times the average October rainfall — leaving the area “totally drenched.” The Mapocho River, which runs through Santiago, overflowed, prompting evacuation orders. Chile’s disaster-response agency put 10 other districts on high alert for more landslides and ordered schools to close on Friday. A rescue worker walks through muddy debris in a shop damaged by flash flooding caused by heavy rains in the Las Condes district of Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 Esteban Felix/Copyright 2026. The AP. All rights reserved Rain storms earlier this week had already damaged a few dozen homes across central Chile and left nearly 12,000 customers in Santiago without power, officials said. The downpours were expected to ease on Friday. No deaths were reported on Thursday as a result of the heavy rains. The injured however included a one-year-old child, who suffered broken bones. Firefighters said they'd rescued or evacuated more than 1,000 people. A man is pulled to safety by rescue workers after heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Las Condes district of Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 Esteban Felix/Copyright 2026. The AP. All rights reserved The floods come as a powerful El Niño gains strength. The naturally recurring warming of tropical Pacific waters scrambles rainfall patterns worldwide and often brings wetter springs to the Southern Hemisphere. The World Meteorological Organization said on Thursday that this year’s El Niño was expected to peak in December and could be among the most intense since at least 1950. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Two people pulled alive by Nepal's search and rescue team 10 days after devastating flash floods Mass burials of unidentified victims continue in Nepal as death toll exceeds 1,100 one week after flash floods Nepal families post photos of missing relatives on Kathmandu hospital wall Santiago natural disaster Heavy rains Mudslide Chile Comments