Chile continues to battle massive forest fires

Chile still has 14 municipalities, two regions and one province on red alert as wild fires continue to rage in the country.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced that the country will continue with its various measures to deal with the blazes, one of the biggest natural disasters in the country for decades, according to a government report released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the number of people under arrest on suspicion of having started the fires has risen to 43, she added.

"We are certain that if certain fires were begun intentionally ... those responsible will be prosecuted," said the president after a meeting with ministers and the director of the National Emergency Office (ONEMI).

According to ONEMI, of the 127 registered fires, 50 are under control, 14 have been extinguished and 63 remain active.

Currently, 343 people are in shelters, 2,970 have left their homes, 1,061 houses have been destroyed and 11 people have died, most of them firefighters.

Around 7,000 people are engaged in firefighting and control activities, and 44 airplanes and helicopters are working across the country, mostly in the central and southern regions.

In addition, the army has stepped up patrols in at-risk forest areas to prevent new fires, and public access to affected areas has been restricted.

Overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, the Chilean government called for international aid a week ago. Till now Argentina, Brazil and a number of other countries have sent expert teams to help fight the blazes.

source: Xinhua