At least 24 dead in Chile as wildfires expand; foreign help on the way

A wildfire burns areas in Los Venados, San Jose de la Mariquina, near Valdivia, Chile, February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Cristobal Saavedra Escobar

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Firefighters were battled dozens of raging wildfires in Chile on Sunday, seeking to gain control of one of the country's worst natural disasters in years as the death toll rose to at least 24 with nearly 1,000 more injured.

International help was set to arrive on Sunday from a handful of countries that have pledged resources, including planes and expert firefighting teams, as the most intense wildfires torched forests and farmland clustered around three regions near the middle of the South American country's long Pacific coastline.