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Residents gather water from a fire hydrant at a neighborhood in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. Millions are without potable water in Santiago's metropolitan area after floods and mudslides cut supplies. (AP Photo/ Esteban Felix)

Chilean homes without water; 3 dead, 19 missing in floods

Feb 27, 2017 08:02:01

SANTIAGO, Chile – Hundreds of thousands of homes in communities around Chile’s capital remained without water Monday as authorities struggled to restore service following floods caused by Andean rainfall.

There were three confirmed deaths and 19 people were listed as missing in the flooding.

More than half of the communities in the greater Santiago area and as many as 5 million people nationwide were affected by the weekend flooding as rocks and other debris choked the intakes for urban water systems.

The Aguas Andinas water company said Monday that service had been restored to about 50 per cent of the homes and businesses that initially suffered cuts. Authorities over the weekend said service was out to as many as 1.4 million homes in and around Santiago starting Saturday.

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