CHILE: At least 16 people killed as Chile's homeless struggle against a winter cold snap.

Record ID: 333258

  • Title: CHILE: At least 16 people killed as Chile's homeless struggle against a winter cold snap.
  • Date: 10th July 2012
  • Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (JULY 10, 2012) (REUTERS) (NIGHTSHOTS) HOMELESS MAN BY A FIRE IN THE STREET VARIOUS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE STREET VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH FOG A MAN DRINKING A COFFEE A MAN RUBBING HIS HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COFFEE VENDOR, RODOLFO VIEDMA, SAYING: "From about 7 at night on, your feet hurt, your hands are frozen, it's hard to find warmth." A WOMAN ON A BIKE DRESSED FOR THE COLD WEATHER FROST ON THE GRASS VARIOUS OF A VEHICLE COVERED IN FROST VARIOUS OF THE SUN RISING
  • Embargoed: 25th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Chile
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment,Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVA1JXDCWP01VMINVR5VQUTCFSW2
  • Story Text: A blistering cold snap has killed at least 16 people in southern and central Chile so far this year as the South American country expands access to shelters during the southern hemisphere's winter months.
    Santiago's largest shelter, the Victor Jara multi-use sports complex, has added capacity for 100 more guests after the deep freeze claimed the lives of two homeless people sleeping in the streets over the weekend.
    Most of the victims have been homeless people in Santiago where overnight temperatures have dropped to -8 degrees Celsius (18 Fahrenheit).
    As the cold intensified, a growing number of homeless men and women found their way to shelters like the this one where they can get a hot meal and escape the icy weather.
    "The other day I slept on a bench and it was so cold that one of my legs froze. I tried to walk, but I couldn't. I couldn't put weight on it. And afterwards, when my blood started circulating again, my whole body got cold. I got scared and that's why I came here," Sergio Painem told Reuters.
    On Monday (July 9) night, Defence Minister Andres Allamand said the government and local churches had opened a number of additional shelters, mostly on the outskirts of the capital city, as hundreds sought to escape the deadly cold.
    He called on citizens to inform authorities and encourage anyone they see in the streets to seek shelter.
    "Everyone should know that there is room at the shelters for people in the street. We need everyone to help us get them there because we don't want another single Chilean dying from the cold this winter," Allamand said.
    Estimates put more than 6,000 homeless in the streets of Santiago and only a fraction of these take refuge in the city's shelters or in churches that accommodate the homeless.
    Many are left to fend for themselves against the bitter cold.
    "From about 7 in the morning on, your feet hurt, your hands are frozen, it's hard to find warmth," said Rodolfo Viedma who sells coffee in the chilly mornings.
    Forecasters say the cold is letting up, but another blast of winter weather could strike again.
    Last year close to 50 people died of the cold compared to nearly 150 deaths in 2010.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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