Three dead in Chile mudslide

Twenty houses were buried after a river overflowed

epa06394524 A handout photo made available by the Intendency of the Los Lagos Region shows a group of people that observe the damage after an landslide that caused the death of at least three people, the disappearance of another eight and more than twenty homes destroyed or damaged in the town of Villa Lucia, Los Lagos region, Chile, 16 December 2017. EPA/CHRISTIAN BROWN HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

The aftermath of the mudslide that left three dead in Chile. EPA/CHRISTIAN BROWN HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Associated Press

Dec 17, 2017

A mudslide fuelled by heavy rains swept over a village in southern Chile on Saturday, leaving at least three people dead and 15 missing, officials said.
Rain caused a river to overflow and the side of a hill to collapse, burying 20 of the 200 houses in Villa Santa Lucia in the Los Lagos region, located 790 miles south of Chile's capital, Santiago.
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Madmud Aleuy said the three confirmed dead are two women and an unidentified tourist, while 15 others remain missing.
Rescuers are looking for survivors and President Michel Bachelet said on her Twitter account that emergency services are in the area "to care for those affected."
Some of the injured were taken by helicopter to medical centres. Two families were evacuated because of a fire caused by the slide, authorities said. Water and electricity service to the area was knocked out.
The alert level in the area had been raised to red because of the persistent rains.