Chile flooding kills 5, forces 13,000 from homes

By Antonio de la Jara

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Heavy rains and flooding have killed five people and forced about 13,000 from their homes in south-central Chile, some evacuated after rivers swelled and burst their banks, the government said on Thursday.

Two died in landslides, one was struck by a boulder and another was hit by a falling tree. One man died of hypothermia.

Television images showed streets turned into rivers in the port town of Valparaiso, where 3.7 inches (93 mm) of rain fell in 24 hours during two storm fronts that began on the weekend.

Nearly 350 people were in shelters, while most of the displaced were staying with friends and relatives, the government said.

Parts of Chile experience downpours and flooding every year in the run-up to the Southern Hemisphere winter.

The government's National Emergency Office said 7,886 people were displaced in the southern region of Bio Bio and 4,997 in the agricultural region of Maule, about 125 miles (200 km) south of the capital, Santiago.

"The number of displaced has risen," Carmen Fernandez, head of the office, told local radio. "The number in Maule region is constantly evolving because we are still in the process of removing people from some places where water has flooded."

Classes for 390,000 students in the Santiago area were canceled after drinking water was tainted by sediment.

There were no immediate details of any impact on crops, which had been hurt by one of the worst droughts in decades.

Officials had to delay the final game of the Apertura soccer tournament after rain forced the suspension on Thursday of a semifinal match in the coastal town of Vina del Mar, around 75 miles northwest of the capital.

"We have information about a third system coming in, but the rains will be more moderate than in the first system," Deputy Interior Minister Felipe Harboe told reporters.

On a positive note, the rain has refilled hydroelectric dam reservoirs drained in recent months by the drought, which in turn boosted electricity sector stocks on Thursday and helped the stock market end in positive territory.

Authorities said the major Colbun reservoir, owned by the company of the same name and located in southern central Chile, had seen its levels rise beyond the May average.

Shares in the company, Chile's second-biggest electricity generator, rose with dam levels, climbing 5.44 percent to end at 96.75 pesos.

Shares in Endesa Spain's electric utilities also rallied. Endesa Spain's investment group Enersis closed 2.79 percent higher and generator Endesa Chile rose 2.16 percent.