Amateur video caught the dramatic moment a home in Chile collapsed and was swept away in flood water after a torrential rainstorm dumped nearly 4 inches on the countrys southern Los Lagos region in just 24 hours on Sunday (17 May).
At least four homes were completely destroyed or carried away by rushing flood water in the city of Hualaihue. One man, Pascual Nunez, said he and his wife managed to escape from their home just before it collapsed.
I was able to get my wife out and then, all of a sudden, the house disappeared. We didnt manage to get anything out of it. No clothes, nothing, Nunez said.
Several other homes in the city of just over 8,000 inhabitants were also damaged by the storm and the overflowing Queche River.
The rural El Varal school building, which had just undergone renovations and was set to reopen, was also severely damaged.
We were happy because it (the school) was going to open soon. But now nature has decided something different, the educator in charge of the school, Antonio Ibacache, said.
The community was cut off from the rest of the country as roadways were left impassable. Chiles weather service has forecast more rain and heavy winds in the area with another front moving in.
Damage was also reported in other nearby communities. More than a hundred people were forced to evacuate their homes as a result of the stormy weather.
