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3 Dead, 7 Missing After Heavy Rains in Chile


A couple looks at the overflowing Maipo River in San Alfonso, Santiago, Chile, Feb. 26, 2017.
A couple looks at the overflowing Maipo River in San Alfonso, Santiago, Chile, Feb. 26, 2017.

Three people are reported dead and at least seven others missing after heavy rains in Chile.

The rains during the country’s usually dry summer caused rivers to overflow their banks in areas near the capital, Santiago, isolating about 3,400 people, authorities said late Sunday. Cases of mudslides and water outages were also reported in the South American nation.

The drinking water supply for more than a million households in Santiago has been affected, the water supply company for the capital said as rains were making repairs difficult.

In the O'Higgins region south of Santiago, a 12-year-old girl was killed when a landslide swept away the car in which she was travelling.

Emergency crews had to clear roads of debris in the San Jose de Maipo valley, directly above the city, before residents could evacuate.

It was the second major flooding event to hit central Chile in the past year.

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