MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas in snow alert

Magallanes Mayor Raúl Hein Bozic warned Punta Arenas residents on Tuesday that a new heavy snow storm has been forecasted and recommended people to remain in their homes.

Punta Arenas since last week is practically isolated by air and land from the rest of Chile following unprecedented storms that left the city covered with an average meter of snow. Schools have been closed down, government offices are working with minimum staff, the local airport is only open for rescue and military operations and Public Work gangs together with Carabineros and firemen are on 24 hours alert for emergencies.

"The city is in a state of alert because we have been warned about more snow storms", said Mr. Hein Bozic, adding that because of interrupted land communications is still difficult to know the extent of the damage in areas outside of towns particularly in the farms.

"Primary information indicates that sheep mortality in the Camp could be important, but we don't want to advance numbers; in the coming days with help from the Agriculture Department and the military we should be able to have a complete picture of the situation", indicated Mr. Hein Bozic.

Magallanes Mayor asked Punta Arenas residents to remain at home, clearing streets and to be extremely careful with heating systems, since if any accident occurs, "in most of the city access is limited because of the snow, slit and frozen roads".

However the Mayor also indicated that Public Works heavy equipment is helping to clear the main routes to the city, such as the road leading to the airport, and in downtown a couple of trucks have began spreading salt.

Meantime in the north, metropolitan Santiago de Chile is also suffering one of the worst storms in almost a century. In less that 48 hours it rained the annual average causing extensive flooding, mudslides, over flown rivers that have left at least nine dead and thousands homeless and evacuated.