Former forestry official and firefighter detained following devastating Chile blaze resulting in over a hundred deaths.
Two individuals were indicted with causing arson leading to death per an announcement by the National Prosecutor's Office on Friday. Valparaiso's court issued a mandate to keep them in pre-trial custody on Saturday, confirmed the office.
More than 137 lose their lives, and over 16,000 are displaced as devastating wildfires swept through central and northern Chile in February. The government revealed that 9,800 structures were damaged.
The huge scale of this catastrophe makes it one of the biggest disasters the country has experienced in the last three decades, as estimated by the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management in Chile.
Prosecutors believe that the two men planned together beforehand to ignite a fire of such magnitude once the ideal meteorological conditions were present, as stated by Regional Prosecutor Claudia Perivancich on Saturday. She also divulged that one of the suspected arsonists claimed a monetary motive for their actions.
Perivancich disclosed further that investigators are considering a six-month investigation period and have not discounted the possibility of others being implicated. We're trying to determine if the detained have legal counsel.
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The worldwide attention towards Chile's disaster highlights the ongoing impact on the affected communities in the Americas. Despite the ongoing investigation, it remains uncertain if other individuals were involved in the arson plot.
Source: edition.cnn.com
