Heavy rains trigger major mudslide in Santiago; six injured, over 1,000 evacuated

Intense rainfall on Thursday triggered a destructive mudslide in Las Condes, a wealthy suburb east of Santiago, Chile, sweeping vehicles through streets, flooding homes, and forcing evacuations. President José Antonio Kast declared the area a disaster zone to accelerate government response. The mudslide, which began in the San Carlos de Apoquindo neighbourhood and extended toward Los Dominicos, affected dozens of residential properties, commercial establishments, and educational institutions including Universidad de los Andes and Duoc UC.

The immediate cause stemmed from multiple factors. Las Condes received 144 millimeters of rain in recent days—approximately nine times the average October rainfall—saturating the soil. Two drainage ducts designed to direct water away from urban areas became obstructed with debris and garbage, causing Quebrada Honda to overflow. An unusually high zero-degree isotherm meant that snow in higher elevations fell as liquid water instead, accelerating runoff. Additionally, summer forest fires had left loose earth on the precordillera slopes, which the floodwaters carried downslope.

At least six people were injured, including a 1-year-old child with broken bones. Firefighters rescued or evacuated more than 1,000 people. Videos documented a public transit bus being swept through streets by the mud flow, with passengers forced onto the roof. Multiple schools, universities, and hospitals in the affected area suspended operations and restricted entry and exit. The Mapocho River overflowed, and Chile's disaster-response agency (Senapred) placed 10 other districts on high alert and ordered schools in the region to close Friday.

Authorities attributed the extreme rainfall to a strengthening El Niño, described by the World Meteorological Organization as potentially among the most intense since 1950. The event also forced the government to postpone the scheduled promulgation of a reconstruction law. Earlier rainfall that week had already damaged dozens of homes across central Chile and left nearly 12,000 customers without power. The downpours were expected to ease Friday.