President of Chile Gabriel Boric announces national mourning for two days in honor of fire victims

President of Chile Gabriel Boric has announced national mourning for two days in honor of the fire victims. Deadly wildfires in Chile have claimed at least 99 lives till now and hundreds of people also have been reported missing. President said that the death toll will increase significantly as he warned that the country faces a tragedy of very great magnitude. 

A state of emergency has been proclaimed as smoke engulfed the coastal cities of Chile, forcing residents in core regions to flee their homes. Wildfires that began several



days ago are menacing the outer edges of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, two coastal cities popular with tourists. 

The governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Mundaca, announced that a curfew was being enforced in the towns of Vina del Mar, Quilpue, Villa Alemana, and Limache so that officials could concentrate on putting out the fires. The mayor of Quilpue, Valeria Melipillan, said that the fire was probably the largest ever in the area and that around 1,400 homes had been damaged.