Chile flooding kills five
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Heavy rains and flooding have killedfive people and forced about 13,000 from their homes insouth-central Chile, some evacuated after rivers swelled andburst their banks, the government said on Thursday.
Two died in landslides, one was struck by a boulder andanother was hit by a falling tree. One man died of hypothermia.
Television images showed streets turned into rivers in theport town of Valparaiso, where 3.7 inches (93 mm) of rain fellin 24 hours during two storm fronts that began on the weekend.
Nearly 350 people were in shelters, while most of thedisplaced were staying with friends and relatives, thegovernment said.
Parts of Chile experience downpours and flooding every yearin the run-up to the Southern Hemisphere winter.
The government's National Emergency Office said 7,886people were displaced in the southern region of Bio Bio and4,997 in the agricultural region of Maule, about 125 miles (200km) south of the capital, Santiago.
"The number of displaced has risen," Carmen Fernandez, headof the office, told local radio. "The number in Maule region isconstantly evolving because we are still in the process ofremoving people from some places where water has flooded."
Classes for 390,000 students in the Santiago area werecancelled after drinking water was tainted by sediment.
There were no immediate details of any impact on crops,which had been hurt by one of the worst droughts in decades.
Officials had to delay the final game of the Aperturasoccer tournament after rain forced the suspension on Thursdayof a semifinal match in the coastal town of Vina del Mar,around 75 miles (120 km) northwest of the capital.
"We have information about a third system coming in, butthe rains will be more moderate than in the first system,"Deputy Interior Minister Felipe Harboe told reporters.
On a positive note, the rain has refilled hydroelectric damreservoirs drained in recent months by the drought, which inturn boosted electricity sector stocks on Thursday and helpedthe stock market end in positive territory.
Authorities said the major Colbun reservoir, owned by thecompany of the same name and located in southern central Chile,had seen its levels rise beyond the May average.
Shares in the company, Chile's second-biggest electricitygenerator, rose with dam levels, climbing 5.44 percent to endat 96.75 pesos.
Shares in Endesa Spain's electric utilities also rallied.Endesa Spain's investment group Enersis closed 2.79 percenthigher and generator Endesa Chile rose 2.16 percent.
The regions most affected by the rains are Maule, Bio-Bio,Araucania and Los Rios.
(Additional reporting by Monica Vargas and Pav Jordan;Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Peter Cooney)