As of 19:00 this Tuesday, 29,615 customers in the Metropolitan Region were still without electricity. The Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels (SEC) attributed the outages to heavy rain, hailstorms and thunderstorms that hit Santiago during the afternoon.
Emol reported that the figure rose as the hours passed. At 17:15, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) counted 27,980 affected homes and businesses, and by then had already declared a Red Alert across the region over the weather event.
The figures vary by source. La Tercera reported the assessment of Senapred director Alicia Cebrián, who cited SEC data: more than 60 thousand customers without power nationwide, including 38 thousand in the capital. The SEC's 19:00 report, by contrast, put the national total at 43,711. That meant 99.5% of customers in Chile had normal service, a proportion that reached 98.6% in the Metropolitan Region.
Ñuñoa topped the list of municipalities, with 4,577 customers affected. It was followed by Providencia, with 3,116, and Paine, with 2,565. There were also outages outside the capital: 8,720 customers in O'Higgins, 1,621 in Maule and 741 in La Araucanía.
Metro had to adjust its operations. According to a post by @metrodesantiago on X, Pedro de Valdivia station on Line 1 closed and trains stopped calling there because of accumulated water. At 18:13, Salvador was allowing passengers only to exit, and Manuel Montt had flooded during the afternoon.
The most difficult situation was on Line 2. Only the sections between Hospital El Pino and Franklin and between Los Héroes and Vespucio Norte were operating, leaving the central section without trains. At Los Leones, entry was possible only through the Line 6 entrances, and at Tobalaba only through the Line 1 entrances.
Above ground, the Traffic Control Operations Unit (UOCT) reported at 18:10 that five underpasses remained closed because of flooding. They are Lira beneath Alameda, in Santiago; Carlos Dittborn and Dublé Almeyda, in Ñuñoa; Departamental at Gran Avenida, in San Miguel; and Vespucio at Las Torres, on the boundary between Macul and Peñalolén.
Around 16:30, six people travelling in at least four vehicles became trapped by water in the last of these underpasses. Three companies from the Ñuñoa Fire Department attended the rescue. Those affected were taken to various healthcare facilities and, according to reports, are in good condition.
Other underpasses have reopened: Eduardo Castillo Velasco, in Villa Frei; La Florida Avenue beneath Walker Martínez; and several in San Bernardo. Lo Espejo Avenue, between General Velásquez and Route 5, reopened, but with caution advised because of accumulated mud.
At Terminal Sur in Estación Central, the wind tore away structures and hurled lightweight objects. The Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC) said its preliminary assessment suggested the phenomenon was an EF-0 tornado, the lowest category on the scale.
Ñuñoa Mayor Sebastián Sichel told 24 Horas that, for now, the BTS concert scheduled for tonight at the National Stadium would not be cancelled. He explained that water had reached some outdoor pitches, but that the main stadium had experienced no problems. Even so, he said they would have to see "what the weather is like here tonight".
Cebrián urged people returning home to drive with extreme caution, as flooding and traffic lights without power have caused congestion at several points in the Metropolitan Region. With the DMC not ruling out another wave of the frontal system, Senapred recommended staying indoors unless going out is absolutely necessary.
The DMC alert for thunderstorms with hail and strong wind gusts remains in effect through this Wednesday. The National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) estimates that the risk of debris flows and landslides is moderate to high in the Andean foothills. A Yellow Alert for mass movements is also in effect in ten municipalities, including San José de Maipo, Puente Alto, La Florida and Las Condes.