Socialist Party (PS) Senator Gastón Saavedra asked President José Antonio Kast to declare a state of catastrophe in Lota, a coastal municipality in the Biobío Region, according to BioBioChile. The request follows a hillside collapse that cut off one of the municipality's roads.
According to the outlet, the landslide occurred on Wednesday at around 15:30. The earth completely blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic in both directions on Fernando Maira road, at the 21 de Mayo bend in the Gabriela Mistral area.
The landslide is about three meters high and between 50 and 80 meters long, and continues to block the road to the El Roble area. The mass of earth destroyed the front of a home. The source does not report any injuries or how many families were left isolated.
Lota, about 40 kilometers south of Concepción, has had two weeks of heavy rain. In late September, rainfall had already flooded several areas of the municipality and affected businesses, homes and schools.
"What else has to happen in Lota? Flooding, and now we have collapsing earth and landslides," Saavedra said. The senator added that the region's hills are "geologically weak," particularly those in Lota.
The lawmaker argued that the declaration would allow resources to reach the Municipality of Lota, which he said no longer has them in its budget. He also called for action in the critical areas identified in a report by the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin), as more rain is expected.
Saavedra compared the situation with that of other municipalities. Although he did not name it, BioBioChile links his remarks to the case of Las Condes, in the Metropolitan Region: last week, the president declared it a disaster zone about three hours after a mudslide.
"I don't see why it is taking so long in Lota," the senator said. At the time BioBioChile's report was published, the government had not responded to the request, and there was no date for clearing Fernando Maira road.
