A flash flood of water, mud and rocks tore through the San Carlos de Apoquindo area of Las Condes, in eastern Santiago, at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, sweeping away dozens of cars and a public bus.
Authorities said more than 140 millimeters of rain fell in some areas on already saturated ground, while two blocked channels caused ravines to overflow. Six people were injured, including a 1-year-old child, and about 1,960 homes were affected, 55 of them seriously. Floodwater also reached a clinic, the Air Force hospital, a university and schools.

The disaster agency Senapred issued a red alert for 10 districts of the Metropolitan Region, where classes were suspended. "I have ordered that the district of Las Condes be declared a disaster zone," President José Antonio Kast said.