Residents airlifted to safety after flooding in central Chile

ByVanessa Buschschlüter Latin America online editor.

Key points

• Recent torrential rains caused the Mapocho river to burst its banks, flooding sizeable parts of the city of Talagante, 35km (22 miles) south-west of the capital, Santiago.
• Climate experts have cautioned that the 2026-2027 El Niño is anticipated to cause major shifts in weather patterns worldwide, intensifying droughts in some areas and floods in others.
• Santiago has seen 74mm of rainfall in the first seven days of this month, making it the rainiest October for the area in 76 years, meteorologists have remarked.
• Police in central Chile have airlifted a number of residents to safety after rising floodwaters left them trapped in their homes.
• In Talagante, police applied helicopters to rescue residents and pets living on the banks of the Mapocho who had been surprised by the fast-rising waters overnight.

They have cautioned that this year's unusually robust El Niño climate phenomenon will probable continue to bring unusually wet weather, powerful winds and storms to the region during the southern hemisphere's spring.

Although they have yet to confirm the cause of death, authorities stated one person had been discovered dead in a flooded underpass in the city of San Bernardo, south of Santiago.

Dirt roads turned into rivers in the riverside community which, unlike in July's storms, had not been evacuated ahead of the heavy downpours.

Climate experts have cautioned that the 2026-2027 El Niño is anticipated to cause major shifts in weather patterns worldwide, intensifying droughts in some areas and floods in others. In central Chile, it is projected to trigger above-average rainfall.

Taken together, the developments around residents airlifted to safety after flooding in central Chile point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.