Chile's President, successor visit wildfire zones where at least 20 died

Chile's President, Gabriel Boric, and his successor, president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, visited on Wednesday (January 21) areas affected by the wildfires that have left at least 20 people dead and the regions remain under a state of catastrophe.

Boric, who said the teams were still battling the flames, visited the Biobio region, where 19 of the fatalities occurred, according to the government.

The president-elect, Jose Antonio Kast, also visited the coastal region and said his government would be in charge of the reconstruction.

Residents and volunteers worked with shovels and carts to clear the areas consumed by the fires. A resident affected by the catastrophe demanded trucks to advance in the reconstruction.

The Interior Minister, Alvaro Elizalde, said before removing the debris, search teams must be certain no body was buried, in a press conference on Tuesday.

The other fatality was in Nuble, another region hard-hit by the wildfires. Both regions remain under red alert as they count nine active fires with nearly 35,000 hectares affected, according to the CONAF forestry agency.

Production: Carolina Fernandez, Anna Portella/Reuters