10 feared dead in Chile forest fires: officials

Chile declared a state of emergency on Friday as officials said 10 people were feared dead in forest fires in the central Valparaiso region, where blazes are threatening hundreds of homes. Officials gave the "preliminary" toll, in order to have all the necessary resources to fight the fires.

The blazes have ravaged hundreds of hectares of forest and forced evacuations. The fires are being driven by a summer heatwave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, as scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of natural disasters such as intense heat and fires.