SENAPRED declares red alert in 10 Santiago communes after mudslide
- Severe flooding and an intense mudslide triggered by heavy rains struck the San Carlos de Apoquindo area in Las Condes, an eastern district of Santiago, Chile, on October...
- The Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SENAPRED) declared a red alert across 10 communes in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, including Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, San...
- Emergency crews, including Carabineros police, firefighters, municipal workers, and the military, deployed to the affected zones.
Severe flooding and an intense mudslide triggered by heavy rains struck the San Carlos de Apoquindo area in Las Condes, an eastern district of Santiago, Chile, on October 8, 2026.
Alerta Roja and Emergency Response Across Santiago
The Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SENAPRED) declared a red alert across 10 communes in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, including Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, San José de Maipo, Puente Alto, Pirque, La Florida, Peñalolén, La Reina, Vitacura, and Colina. Miguel Muñoz, the regional director for SENAPRED, stated that the slide resulted from intense precipitation that activated mountain ravines, according to SOURCE 3 and SOURCE 5.
Emergency crews, including Carabineros police, firefighters, municipal workers, and the military, deployed to the affected zones. The mayor of Las Condes, Catalina San Martín, urged residents via Instagram to remain indoors unless travel was strictly necessary while rescue teams worked to reach trapped individuals. Germán Codina, the presidential delegate for the Metropolitan Region, noted that the torrent may have been exacerbated by the obstruction of two drainage ducts and the loss of protective vegetation from a mountain wildfire during the previous summer.
Impact on Transportation, Healthcare, and Infrastructure
Footage shared by residents on social media captured a Red Movilidad public bus carrying passengers being carried along by the rushing mud on streets such as Francisco Bulnes Correa and General Blanche. According to reports compiled by SOURCE 1 and SOURCE 5, SENAPRED confirmed that multiple people were trapped inside private cars, public transportation, and university buildings, though no injuries were reported immediately.
Mud and water also infiltrated several prominent health and educational facilities in the eastern sector. The Clínica UC Christus, the Clínica Universidad de los Andes, and a campus of the Duoc UC educational institution sustained damage from the flooding, while the University of Los Andes restricted campus entry and exit due to ongoing risks.
El Niño Fuels Historic Rainfall in Santiago
According to SOURCE 5, the severe weather stems from an atmospheric river fueled by the El Niño phenomenon, culminating a week of historic precipitation in the capital. Santiago received 52 millimeters of rain on October 6, marking the highest daily total for that month in more than a century. Accumulated rainfall for October 2026 reached 74 millimeters within a single week, surpassing the previous historical mark of 65 millimeters set in 1987.
Como resultado de la información levantada en el Cogrid regional, encabezada por el Ministro Alvarado y con la participación de los Ministros de Obras Públicas, Defensa, Salud, Energía, y la necesidad de disponer todos los recursos para enfrentar la emergencia, he instruído decretar zona de catástrofe a la comuna de Las Condes
José Antonio Kast