Residents airlifted to safety after flooding in central Chile

The Mapocho river has burst its banks after an unusually large amount of rain fell in recent days. Watch: Houses underwater and families trapped by floodwaters in Chile Police in central Chile have airlifted several residents to safety after rising floodwaters left them trapped in their homes. Recent torrential rains caused the Mapocho river to burst its banks, flooding large parts of the city of Talagante, 35km (22 miles) south-west of the capital, Santiago. Santiago has seen 74mm of rainfall in the first seven days of this month, making it the rainiest October for the area in 76 years, meteorologists have said. They have warned that this year's unusually strong El Niño climate phenomenon will likely continue to bring unusually wet weather, powerful winds and storms to the region during the southern hemisphere's spring.

Officials said one person had been found dead in a flooded underpass in the city of San Bernardo, south of Santiago, although they have yet to confirm the cause of death. In Talagante, police used helicopters to rescue people and pets living on the banks of the Mapocho who had been surprised by the fast-rising waters overnight. Dirt roads turned into rivers in the riverside community which, unlike in July's storms, had not been evacuated ahead of the heavy downpours. The Mapocho river in central Chile