LatinNews Daily - 05 February 2024

*Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has thanked the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) for its “important support” in helping the government respond to devastating forest fires which broke out in the central region of Valparaíso on 2 February. CAF announced a US$250,000 donation to the government’s response efforts, expressing solidarity for Chile for the “devastating effects of the raging fires”, which have caused over 100 deaths and considerable material damage. On social media, Boric also thanked the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for its “important donation” of US$200,000. “All support and help is tremendously valuable”, wrote Boric, who has declared a state of exception and deployed the armed forces in response to the fires. The government is asking people in affected areas to evacuate while a curfew was declared in the towns and cities of Limache, Quilpué, Villa Alemana, and Viña del Mar in Valparaíso region from 6pm on 4 February until 10am today (5 February) to facilitate access of emergency vehicles and victim support. Boric has described the fires as “the biggest tragedy” in Chile since the devastating February 2010 earthquake, which killed over 500 people, and decreed two days of national mourning from today.