Chile storms kill three, displace hundreds as heaviest rains expected

Mining firms activate winter contingency plans as storms batter center-south Chile

Residents walk along a flooded street, after heavy rain fall during a weather front caused flooding and led the Chilean authorities to declare a preventive state of emergency at the start of the week, in Arauco, Chile, Jul 16, 2026. REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez

Heavy rains sweeping central and southern Chile have left three people dead in addition to power cuts, multiple floods and road closures, authorities said Friday.

President Jose Antonio Kast travelled to the Biobio region, one of the hardest-hit areas, as the storm system brought strong wind gusts and torrential rain across much of the country.

● The three dead include a worker clearing a road in the southern town of Negrete, a person who fell while cleaning a roof in Temuco, and another person who suffered an electric shock in the capital, the government said.

● Friday is expected to bring the heaviest rainfall yet to the central zone, according to authorities.

● The director of Senapred, the government agency responsible for managing emergency responses, Alicia Cebrian, added that seven people so far have been injured, 79 affected, 466 sheltered and 158 isolated, mainly in the Coquimbo region due to rising water levels.

● Around 257,000 customers lost power, mainly in the south.

● Chile's northern mining zone, home to most of the country's copper and lithium extraction, was not affected by the storm.

● Copper mines in the center-south of Chile were operating normally under standard winter contingency plans, which include temporary work stoppages when weather conditions deteriorate.

● State-owned Codelco said it had halted surface operations at its Andina mine due to the intensity of the storm, as well as ore shipments from the El Teniente open-pit mine due to snow accumulation on the slopes.

● Meanwhile, Anglo American said it had activated preventive protocols, and that the stability of its facilities was assured despite the heavy rains.

● Antofagasta Minerals temporarily restricted access to its Los Pelambres mine and implemented a preventive reduction in non-critical activities.

● Schools suspended classes on Friday.