American Marconi Wireless News - Death toll rises to 13 in Chile's severe storms

The storm that began July 15 in the southern part of the country hit the typically arid regions of Coquimbo and Atacama, where extreme rainfall is unusual.

"We have 13 dead and seven missing," Alicia Cebrian, director of Chile's SENAPRED national emergency service, told reporters.

Around 2,800 homes have been destroyed in the rains, and swollen rivers and roads blocked by water and mud have left a number of towns cut off, the government said.

"I'm 57 years old and I had never seen an emergency like this," Patricia Albornoz, a community leader in Coquimbo, told AFP by phone. "The most shocking thing was seeing how the rivers and ravines overflowed."

Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado said the rains were expected to ease, but that risks still remain due to "swollen riverbeds and ravines."

President Jose Antonio Kast declared a state of emergency in the affected areas on Monday.

O.Norris--AMWN