Helicopter Airlifts Residents as El Niño Floods Central Chile

Central Chile’s Mapocho River burst its banks after record‑low October rainfall, submerging the city of Talagante in a sudden deluge. Police and rescue teams airlifted dozens of residents and pets to safety as the storm sent flood‑waters pouring through dirt roads.

The torrential downpours were part of the 2026‑2027 El Niño cycle, which meteorologists say will keep bringing unusually wet weather to the region through the spring. Santiago itself saw 74 mm of rain in the first week of the month, the wettest October in 76 years.

Authorities confirmed one fatality in a flooded underpass in San Bernardo south of Santiago, though the cause of death is still unverified. Meanwhile, residents of the riverside community in Talagante were not evacuated ahead of the heavy rains, unlike similar events in July.

In the night, helicopters swooped in to retrieve people and animals stranded on the banks of the now-rushing Mapocho, turning about‑to‑hundred‑meter‑high swaths of water into impromptu rivers overnight.

Climate experts warn that the ongoing El Niño could lead to major shifts in global weather patterns, with raging floods in some areas and severe drought elsewhere.