Video: Cars swept into a pile as muddy floodwater rushes down Chile street

On October 8, heavy rainfall battered the Chilean capital of Santiago and its surrounding areas, turning roads into torrents of muddy water and disrupting life across the region. At least six people were injured, according to local authorities.A man sitting on top of a truck is swept away by flash floods after heavy rains triggered a mudslide in Santiago, Chile . (Reuters photo)New Delhi,Oct 10, 2026 08:42 ISTParts of Chile’s capital region were inundated by torrential rain earlier this week, triggering flash floods and mudslides that swept cars through streets. Meanwhile, floodwater entered homes and forced residents to evacuate. Visuals showed the scale of the destruction across affected neighbourhoods.On Thursday (local time), October 8, heavy rainfall battered the Chilean capital of Santiago and its surrounding areas, turning roads into torrents of muddy water and disrupting life across the region.(Video shared on X by @nacholozano)At least six people were injured, according to local authorities, while a state of emergency was declared in Las Condes, an affluent suburb of Santiago, to strengthen the response to the disaster. (A backhoe removes a damaged vehicle from a mud-covered street after heavy rains triggered a mudslide in Las Condes district of Santiago, Chile. Photo: Reuters) Catalina San Martn, the mayor of the district, said the area had received 14.4 centimetres (5.7 inches) of rain in a short period. The intense downpour overwhelmed parts of the urban drainage system, sending water and mud through streets and raising concerns about further flooding as adverse weather persisted.(Members of the Chilean Army clear mud after heavy rains triggered a mudslide in Santiago, Chile. Photo: Reuters)The rising waters of the Mapocho River spilt beyond its banks, triggering evacuation orders in parts of Santiago. Authorities also issued heightened warnings in 10 additional districts amid fears of more landslides, while schools across the affected areas were told to remain shut on Friday (local time), October 9.PANAMA EARTHQUAKES TRIGGERS TSUNAMI ALERTSAs Chile grappled with the destruction caused by the flash floods in and around Santiago, two powerful earthquakes thousands of kilometres away in Panama on Friday (local time) triggered tsunami alerts across Central America and South America.While the twin earthquakes – magnitude 7.7 and magnitude 6.6 – and a series of aftershocks damaged buildings and sent thousands into the streets, Panama, at least initially, appeared to escape widespread destruction or deaths.However, the National Weather Service of the United States issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Panama, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Guatemala.A warning was also issued as far as Chile’s Easter Island, about 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles) off Chile’s mainland coast. El Salvador was also placed under a tsunami alert.- Ends(With inputs from agencies)