Chile reports at least 10 dead after northern rainfall emergency

Chile declared a state of emergency on Monday after heavy rainfall killed at least 10 people and destroyed or severely damaged more than 1,100 homes, officials said.

The rain has affected the usually dry northern regions of Coquimbo and Atacama since last week. Officials said such intense rainfall is highly unusual for the area.

Alicia Cebrian, director of Chile's SENAPRED national emergency service, told a press briefing that at least 10 people had died, 17 had been injured and four had been reported missing.

President Jose Antonio Kast said the worsening conditions led him to declare a state of emergency in the affected areas. The measure allows the government to deploy the military, limit movement and move aid more quickly.

Rising rivers have blocked roads and cut off communities. In Coquimbo, mud and power outages have disrupted drinking water supplies.

Deputy interior minister Maximo Pavez told reporters that what normally falls as rain in a month fell in one hour on Sunday, describing the rainfall as abnormal and extreme.

Arnaldo Zuniga of the national meteorological service told AFP that Chile had not seen this much rainfall in two decades.