The landslide in the town of Villa Santa Lucia was triggered by a heavy downpour that hit the remote valley over a single day on December 16.
The torrent of mud buried a village, destroyed hundreds of homes, water and power supply was cut off.
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According to Chile's interior ministry, over 4.5 inches of rain fell in 24 hours.
At least three people have died and 15 are reported missing after a mudslide in southern Chile. #Chile #7News pic.twitter.com/jGe7tTdaNu
— 7 News Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) December 17, 2017
Chile mudslide pic.twitter.com/V0hEukTiq2
— ANews (@anewscomtr) December 21, 2017
The town of Villa Santa Lucia borders the popular Corcovado national park famous for its volcanoes and forests.
A cow is transported by a helicopter after a mudslide in Villa Santa Lucia, Chile (Alvaro Vidal) pic.twitter.com/47UcIel7Xm
— Justin Pickard (@justinpickard) December 20, 2017
President Michelle Bachelet declared the region a disaster area.
En #VillaSantaLucía impresiona, por un lado, el nivel de devastación y, por otro, la enorme solidaridad de las localidades cercanas. Hemos estado trabajando desde el principio para enfrentar la emergencia y seguiremos hasta que el pueblo se recupere de esta triste tragedia. pic.twitter.com/uoA9Rz2Dhk
— Michelle Bachelet (@mbachelet) December 18, 2017
On the one hand, the level of devastation in #VillaSantaLucía is striking, and on the other hand, huge solidarity of the nearby towns impresses me. We have been dealing with the emergency from the very beginning and will continue do so until people recover from this sad tragedy.
