CONCEPCION, Chile: Wildfires in Chile have left at least 19 people dead, authorities said on Monday, as the government carried out mass evacuations and fought nearly two dozen blazes exacerbated by intense heat and high winds.
While weather conditions overnight helped control some fires, the largest were still active, with adverse conditions expected throughout the day, security minister, Luis Cordero, said at a news briefing on Monday.
“The projection we have today is of high temperatures,” Cordero said, and the main worry was that new fires would be triggered throughout the region.
Parts of central and southern Chile were under extreme heat warnings with temperatures expected to reach up to 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit).
STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN NUBLE, BIO BIO
As of late Sunday, Chile’s CONAF forestry agency said firefighters were combating 23 fires across the country, the largest of which were in regions of Ñuble and Bío Bío, where President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe.
Over 20,000 hectares (77 square miles) have been razed so far, an area about the size of Seattle, with the largest fire surpassing 14,000 hectares on the outskirts of the coastal city Concepcion.
The fast-moving blaze tore through the towns of Penco and Lirquen over the weekend, destroying hundreds of homes and killing several people, with authorities still assessing the damage.
HEAT, BLAZES ALSO IMPACT ARGENTINA
Authorities are currently battling the fire as it threatened Manzano prison on the edge of Concepcion and the town of Tome to the north.
Both Chile and Argentina rang in the new year with heat waves which have continued into January. Earlier this month, wildfires broke out in Argentina’s Patagonia, burning around 15,000 hectares.
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Chile wildfires leave 19 dead amid extreme heat as scores evacuated
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Chile wildfires leave 19 dead amid extreme heat as scores evacuated
- Fast-moving wildfires being worsened by intense heat, winds
- Firefighters battling 23 active blazes spreading toward cities
Jailed Pakistan former PM loses most vision in one eye: lawyer
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has lost most of the vision in his right eye, his lawyer and family have said, raising fresh concerns about his health.
Khan, who is also a former star international cricketer, has been in jail since 2023 and was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
His lawyer, Salman Safdar, visited Khan in jail this week and later submitted a report to Pakistan’s chief justice and the Supreme Court detailing his concerns and requesting treatment for his client.
“One of his eyes has only 15 percent vision,” Safdar told a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
The meeting with Safdar was Khan’s first contact with an outside visitor for several weeks, underscoring concerns raised by his legal team about limited access to Khan.
Safdar said Khan’s eyes were watery and he wiped them repeatedly during their meeting. Khan also complained of persistent irritation and vision problems, he said.
Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, said his father’s condition was the result of “medical neglect” during his confinement .”.. and the deliberate denial of proper treatment in jail.”
“The responsibility lies squarely with the regime in power, the Army Chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” Kasim Khan said on social media platform X late on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has already requested a report on Khan’s living conditions in connection with a case that has been pending since 2023.
Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in January at Islamabad’s government hospital but gave no other details.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at the time that Khan was “fine and healthy,” while government officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Khan was being mistreated in prison.
However, Safdar said that no meaningful action had been taken despite repeated complaints.
He has not expressed concerns about security but Safdar said in his report to the court that Khan believed his living conditions could be improved.
Khan was prime minister from 2018-22 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.
He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated.
His arrest triggered nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.
Khan, who is also a former star international cricketer, has been in jail since 2023 and was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
His lawyer, Salman Safdar, visited Khan in jail this week and later submitted a report to Pakistan’s chief justice and the Supreme Court detailing his concerns and requesting treatment for his client.
“One of his eyes has only 15 percent vision,” Safdar told a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
The meeting with Safdar was Khan’s first contact with an outside visitor for several weeks, underscoring concerns raised by his legal team about limited access to Khan.
Safdar said Khan’s eyes were watery and he wiped them repeatedly during their meeting. Khan also complained of persistent irritation and vision problems, he said.
Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, said his father’s condition was the result of “medical neglect” during his confinement .”.. and the deliberate denial of proper treatment in jail.”
“The responsibility lies squarely with the regime in power, the Army Chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” Kasim Khan said on social media platform X late on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has already requested a report on Khan’s living conditions in connection with a case that has been pending since 2023.
Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in January at Islamabad’s government hospital but gave no other details.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at the time that Khan was “fine and healthy,” while government officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Khan was being mistreated in prison.
However, Safdar said that no meaningful action had been taken despite repeated complaints.
He has not expressed concerns about security but Safdar said in his report to the court that Khan believed his living conditions could be improved.
Khan was prime minister from 2018-22 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.
He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated.
His arrest triggered nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.
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