Floods kill 3 in Chile, 19 missing

At least three people are dead and 19 others missing after heavy rains struck Chile over the weekend during the country's usually dry summer months. The rains triggered flooding, mudslides and water outages in the South American county.

The flooding in mountain valleys near Chile's capital, Santiago, had stranded 373 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday.

The fresh water supply for over 4 million households in Santiago has been affected. Aguas Andinas, the company that provides water to the capital, said the rains were hindering repair work.

"Emergency teams are working on the ground to connect with isolated persons and re-establish the water supply wherever possible," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said.

TRT World's Andrew Hopkins reports.

No impact yet on mining

The latest floods to hit Chile are the second in the past year.

Last April, heavy rains battered the San Jose de Maipo valley, killing one and shutting down production at some of the largest copper mines in the world.

Mining giants Antofagasta, state-owned Codelco, and Anglo American have sizeable deposits in the zone hit by this weekend's rains.

All three said production had so far not been affected.