The Chilean Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, mentioned that the death toll due to the severe wildfires in the country has risen to at least 51 people.

Chilean media reported that 45 people died due to the fires, while six others later died in hospitals from serious injuries.

Several people are still missing, and Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced that the death toll is expected to rise.

The Forestry Department recorded 143 fires across the country yesterday, covering an area of about 21 thousand hectares.

The Chilean government imposed a curfew in the towns of Cañete, Villa Alemana, Viña del Mar, and Limache in the Valparaíso region from 9 PM on Saturday local time (00:00 GMT on Sunday) to 10 AM on Sunday (13:00 GMT) to combat the fires.

Local authorities earlier confirmed that more than 1200 homes were destroyed in Cañete and Villa Alemana, about 120 kilometers northwest of the capital Santiago, while the fires consumed at least 9 thousand hectares throughout the Valparaíso region.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in the Valparaíso region late Friday to deploy additional resources and allow military intervention.

These fires are considered the deadliest in the country in recent decades.