SANTIAGO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A powerful storm system affecting 10 of Chile's 16 regions has left at least three people dead, seven injured and more than 800 homes damaged, authorities said Friday.
The storm, which began Thursday and is expected to persist through the weekend, has brought heavy rain from the northern region of Atacama to the south-central region of La Araucania, causing flooding, roof damage, fallen trees and road closures due to gusts of up to 160 km per hour, Interior Undersecretary Maximo Pavez told a press conference.
Energy Minister Ximena Rincon said about 400,000 people nationwide remained without electricity, with the central region of Valparaiso the hardest hit.
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast said the severe weather is expected to continue several more days, adding the country has strengthened its disaster-response institutions following disasters in previous years.
The storm, associated with the El Nino weather phenomenon, struck Chile after several weeks of unusually warm weather, with temperatures reaching 26 degrees Celsius in central parts of the country despite it being the middle of the Southern Hemisphere winter. ■
