related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

SANTIAGO: Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

Most of those displaced live in the southern region of Biobio, where rivers overflowed and 34,000 lost power. Authorities said they were continuing to monitor the storm front, which first hit the country on Thursday night.

The South American country's largest copper mines, mostly located in the north, have not reported any impact on operations from the storm. Chile is the world's largest producer of the red metal. </s> A herd of sheep is seen, after great snowfall at the outskirts of Coyhaique city, south of Chile June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

Most of those displaced live in the southern region of Biobio, where rivers overflowed and 34,000 lost power. Authorities said they were continuing to monitor the storm front, which first hit the country on Thursday night.

The South American country’s largest copper mines, mostly located in the north, have not reported any impact on operations from the storm. Chile is the world’s largest producer of the red metal. </s> SANTIAGO – At least four people have been killed in south-central Chile due to torrential rainfall which has also damaged the homes of nearly 3,000 people.

The violent weather that began Thursday slammed nine regions of central and southern Chile, the National Emergency Office said Sunday.

More than 230,000 residents were left without power, the government agency added.

A number of residents in Curanilahue, some 600 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago, have lost their homes, cars and businesses to flooding.

Struggling to control the water, they are now hoping for help from the government to get back on their feet.

Some streets were flooded Saturday in the capital Santiago, while traffic lights were out and some neighborhoods still had no power.

The National Weather Service said the weather was expected to improve somewhat later today. </s> Three people are dead and 19 others are missing after heavy rains struck Chile over the weekend during the country's usually dry summer months, causing mudslides and water outages in the South American nation.

The rains, which caused rivers to overflow their banks in mountain valleys near Chile's capital, Santiago, have isolated 373 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday.

The drinking-water supply for over a million households in Santiago has been affected, and Aguas Andinas, the company that provides water to the capital, said rains were making repairs difficult. </s> Torrential rainfall in south-central Chile has claimed the lives of at least four people. A number of residents in Curanilahue, some 600 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago, have lost their homes, cars and businesses to flooding.

Start the conversation, or Read more at SFGate. </s> Millions of people are without water after heavy rains struck Chile over the weekend during the country’s usually dry summer months, leaving three people dead and at least 19 missing.

The rains, which caused rivers to overflow their banks in mountain valleys near Chile’s capital, Santiago, had isolated 373 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday.

The drinking-water supply for over a million households in Santiago had been affected, and Aguas Andinas, the company that provides water to the capital, said rains were making repairs difficult. Agence France-Presse estimated four million people were affected.

“Emergency teams are working on the ground to connect with isolated persons and re-establish the water supply wherever possible,” Chilean president Michelle Bachelet wrote on Twitter.

In the O’Higgins region, south of Santiago, a 12-year-old girl was killed when a landslide swept away the car in which she was travelling.

In the San Jose de Maipo valley, directly above the city, emergency crews had to clear the roads of debris before residents could evacuate to lower, less mountainous ground.

It was the second major flooding event to hit central Chile in the past year. Last April, heavy rains battered the San Jose de Maipo valley, killing one and shutting production at some of the largest copper mines in the world.

Mining giants Antofagasta, state-owned Codelco , and Anglo American have sizeable deposits in the zone affected by this weekend’s rains.

All three said production had not been affected. </s> LIMA, Peru (AP) - A new round of unusually heavy rains has killed at least a dozen people in Peru and now threatens flooding in the capital.

The new floods and mudslides over the past three days follow a series of other storms and officials say that a total of 62 people have died and 12,000 homes have been destroyed so far this year.

Authorities said Thursday they expect the intense rains caused by the warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean to continue another two weeks.

Schools nationwide are suspending classes and in the capital of Lima, the swelling Huaycoloro river swept away two trucks and threatens to destroy a bridge.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said late Wednesday that authorities are prepared to provide shelter and relief to those left homeless. </s> SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of homes in communities around the Chilean capital remain without water as authorities struggle to restore service following floods caused by Andean rainfall. There are three confirmed deaths and 19 people reported missing in the flooding.

More than half of the communities in the greater Santiago area and as many as 5 million people nationwide were affected by the weekend flooding as rocks and other debris choked the intakes for urban water systems.

The Aguas Andinas water company said Monday that service had been restored to about 50 percent of the homes and businesses that suffered cuts. Authorities over the weekend said service was cut to as many as 1.4 million homes in and around Santiago starting Saturday. </s> Update: At least 27 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a freak storm hit southern Nepal, destroying houses, uprooting trees and toppling electricity poles, officials said.

The thunderstorm swept through the district of Bara and adjoining areas late Sunday killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 600, according to the home ministry.

"The winds took away everything, my home and my family," Ram Babu Patel, 45, who lost his wife in the storm in a village in Bara, told AFP over the phone.

"The storm destroyed everything in its path. Houses have no roofs and trees are all down," Tharu said.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his condolences in a tweet and said that the government would do its best for treatment of the injured.

Kathmandu: At least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured after stormy weather hit southern Nepal, destroying houses, uprooting trees and toppling electricity poles, officials said.

"At least 25 people have been killed and many injured. Search and rescue workers have been deployed," Bhattarai said, warning that the toll may rise, with information about the disaster still coming in.

Prime minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his condolences in a tweet and said that as well as the 25 killed, around 400 were injured.

Storms causing such high casualties in spring are rare in Nepal. Felled trees and electrical poles have blocked the main access highway, hindering rescue efforts, officials said.

Hospitals in the districts were filled with patients, and were facing an acute shortage of blood.

Thunderstorms outside the regular monsoon season are common in Nepal, but never has one been so deadly. Hundreds were killed in 2017, when floods devastated areas across South Asia.
Four people are killed as intense rains and snowstorms hit central and southern Chile. About 3,000 people are homeless, and hundreds of thousands have lost power.