Milagros Zabaleta, a 20-year-old influencer and daughter of actor Jorge Zabaleta, used her Instagram stories to condemn mockery circulating on social media about those affected by the mudslide that struck San Carlos de Apoquindo, in Las Condes, on Thursday.
According to meganoticias.cl, she posted a lengthy text expressing her frustration at some users' reaction to the emergency. Cooperativa.cl also reported her comments.
The emergency left homes damaged, cars swept away by water and people injured, according to Cooperativa. In her message, Zabaleta mentioned families whose homes were covered in mud, people who lost everything and missing animals.
"I'm shocked by how little empathy some people have," she wrote at the start. She then questioned how some people could say they felt no empathy or, worse still, laugh at what had happened: "I really don't understand how their minds work," she added.
The influencer, known as "Milo," also said that disasters make no distinctions based on region, social class or political views. "Today it happened to them, but tomorrow it could happen to any of us," she said.
In a more conciliatory tone, she recalled that the country tends to come together when disasters strike Viña del Mar or the south, and called for the same attitude now. In her view, where victims come from should not influence concern for their suffering.
The debate on social media intersected with other consequences of the event. A preliminary calculation by consulting firm Inciti estimates damage to buildings in San Carlos de Apoquindo at US$172.8 million, while Colliers puts it at around US$50 million.
Meanwhile, the Labor Directorate halted cleanup work at an affected OXXO store, where five workers were removing mud while exposed to electrical hazards and without full protective equipment, according to the agency's inspection.
