Rare snowstorm batters Chilean capital, leaves one dead & 337k homes without power (PHOTOS)

July 16th, 2017

Awake Goy

The one fatality was a worker who was clearing ice, the capital’s authorities said in a statement at a press conference, as cited by local media.

Two other people were injured after being electrocuted by a fallen power line, the statement added.

About 337,000 households were left without power due to the storm, the Office of National Emergency (ONEMI) said on Saturday, as cited by AFP. Officials said that the weather affected one in seven residents of the capital.

Momento dramático del día. ❄️ . . . . #snow #snowball #white #beautiful #hand #slowmotion #video #videogram #videooftheday #iphone #iphone7plus #iphoneonly #instagood #instadaily #santiago #chile #city

A post shared by Carolina Labraña (@carolinalabrana) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:32pm PDT

The snowstorm was the heaviest since 2007, AFP said, citing meteorologists.

Fallen trees and branches were the main causes of the power outages.

#nieve #santiago #frío #winter

A post shared by Charlot Andrade (@andradecharlot) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:23pm PDT

Several football matches were suspended due to heavy snow, the Football Federation of Chile said in a statement.

A post shared by Camilo Mella Jara (@camilo.amj) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:10pm PDT

Some residents of Santiago and the greater area, which is home to around seven million people, opted to enjoy the rare event.

“We should admire the moment that nature gave us, this show so cute,” José Valenzuela, who took his children for a snowy walk in the capital, told AFP.