Colombia reaffirms its leadership in international cooperation in the face of natural disasters at a critical moment for Chile. Following a formal request from the government of Gabriel Boric, the country will send a contingent of 80 high-level experts to combat the voracious forest fires that are ravaging this country.

This mission, coordinated by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), adds to the emergency that has escalated to tragic levels, with a balance that already amounts to 21 people dead and nearly 20,000 victims, mainly in the Biobío region.

The Colombian logistics deployment is massive and includes the transportation of more than 13 tons of tools and technical equipment.

The group of rescuers will leave on January 28 on a Boeing 737 plane of the Colombian Air Force to intervene in areas where fires are not only a product of nature.

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In fact, the Chilean police announced this Thursday, January 22, the arrest of a third suspect of having intentionally started the fire in the town of Punta de Parra. The subject was caught during curfew carrying a lighter and hallucinogenic substances, after being reported by neighbors who saw him setting fire to the eucalyptus forest.

Colombian intervention is vital, since Chilean authorities are currently fighting against 19 active outbreaks in regions such as Ñuble and La Araucanía.

The Colombian personnel, made up of firefighters, military personnel and Red Cross personnel, will contribute their experience for 15 days in comprehensive fire management and medical care, supporting a population that has seen thousands of homes reduced to ashes.

This international operation strengthens ties of brotherhood and tests Colombia’s response capacity to large-scale environmental challenges.

Photo taken from social networks.

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