Central Chile Residents Airlifted as Mapocho River Floods

What changed

Rising floodwaters from the Mapocho river inundated Talagante, 35km south-west of Santiago, after torrential rain. Police used helicopters to airlift several residents and their pets from homes along the river, where waters rose rapidly overnight and roads became rivers.

Officials also reported one death in a flooded underpass in San Bernardo, south of Santiago, though the cause has not been confirmed. Santiago recorded 74mm of rain in the first seven days of October, making it the wettest October start there in 76 years.

Why it matters

This was not simply a heavy-rain disruption. People living beside the Mapocho went from being at home to needing an airlift, with little warning and no evacuation ahead of the downpour. The episode shows how quickly a familiar river can become the centre of an emergency when rain overwhelms its banks.

The danger may persist. Meteorologists expect the unusually strong 2026-2027 El Niño to bring above-average rainfall to central Chile, along with powerful winds and storms across the region. Further flooding is possible, but its extent and duration remain uncertain.