Flash floods sweep through Santiago after unusually intense spring rain

Flash floods and a mudslide swept through Las Condes, east of Santiago, on Thursday, Oct. 8, after days of unusually heavy spring rain. Water and mud carried cars and a public bus through streets, flooded homes and affected nearby medical facilities. Authorities reported at least six people injured, including a one-year-old child; no deaths were reported in the Las Condes event on Thursday. Firefighters said they had rescued or evacuated more than 1,000 people. [The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/chile-el-nino-weather-landslide-santiago-7f44b0f7271741c686c5a918a6581997) documented the damage and the rescue effort. Las Condes Mayor Catalina San Martín said 14.4 centimeters (5.7 inches) of rain had fallen in recent days—about nine times the area’s average October total. The Chilean government declared a “zona de catástrofe” for the municipality to speed coordination and emergency resources. Chile’s disaster agency placed 10 mountain and foothill municipalities under red alert for further landslides; the Mapocho River also overflowed, prompting evacuation orders. Schools in Las Condes were closed Friday, and officials reported power outages affecting nearly 12,000 customers in Santiago. [The government’s notice](https://msgg.gob.cl/wp/2026/10/08/gobierno-decreta-zona-de-catastrofe-en-las-condes/) lists the emergency measures. The fast surge appears to have been driven by rain falling in a short burst. Chilean emergency officials said about 15 millimeters fell in an exceptionally brief period, quickly swelling a ravine and carrying mud, sediment and vegetation into the neighborhood, according to [local reporting from Emol](https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2026/10/08/1213686/balance-las-condes-aluvion.html). That is distinct from the much larger total accumulated across several days. The event unfolded during Chile’s spring, when such intense rain is unusual in the capital. El Niño is strengthening and can affect rainfall patterns across the Southern Hemisphere, but that wider climate context does not by itself establish the cause of this particular storm. Forecasters expected the rain to ease Friday. Photo: Rescue workers pull a resident from floodwater in Las Condes, Oct. 8 (AP Photo/Esteban Felix).