Over 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate the popular port city of
Valparaiso in Chile. Forest fires spread to the city on Saturday night and the
fast moving fire has so far killed 12 of the city’s residents.
Over 1,200 firefighters have been tackling the blaze and Chilean
President Michelle Bachelet has put the army in charge of evacuation declaring
the city a disaster zone and putting security forces on the streets to maintain
order and prevent looting.
Valparaiso is a popular
tourist destination and strong Pacific winds which have hampered the emergency
response and have pushed the fire deeper into the city’s surrounding
neighbourhoods. This has led to fears that the fire could spread to the centre
of the city and the Unesco World Heritage Site old centre, which includes the
former house turned museum of world-famous Latin American poet Pablo Neruda.
Large parts of the city
are without electricity and there are fears for residents’ health due to smoke
inhalation.
Fires are frequent
during the hot summer months in central Chile. This is the second emergency the
country has faced this year, as only 2 weeks ago a 8.2 earthquake and subsequent
tsunami hit northern Chile.
If you have been
affected by the evacuation of Valparaiso due to the forest fires then
International Travel and Healthcare clients are supported by emergency
assistance providers Specialty
Assist and Global Response, both
based here in the UK. If you require evacuation, repatriation, medical
assistance the following numbers will be able to help you: Clients
travelling with a Fit-4-Travel policy who require emergency assistance should
contact Global Response on: +44
(0) 203 538 0492 Clients
travelling on one of our Single Trip, Annual Multi-Trip or Cruise policies
should contact Specialty Assist on: +44
(0) 207 902 7405
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