REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SANTIAGO -- The death toll from recent heavy rains, flooding and mudslides in northern Chile has climbed to 17, while 20 people remain missing, the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said Monday (31/3).

"The number of deaths from last week's floods and downpours in the regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo was raised to 17, with the number of missing people maintained at 20," ONEMI Director Ricardo Toro said.

The unofficial, as yet unconfirmed number of missing was at 89, Chile's 24 Hours news network reported.

Authorities have acknowledged the number of victims will continue to rise as flood waters subside, allowing cleanup crews to remove debris and access previously isolated towns.

"The outlook is bleak," Chile's President Michelle Bachelet said on Friday.

Northern Chile was declared a catastrophe zone after torrential rains Wednesday dumped the largest amount of rainfall in 80 years, flooding inland towns and roadways, isolating communities and disrupting basic services, such as water and electricity.

Chile's desert Atacama region, where residents are unaccustomed to heavy rains, registered 14 of the fatalities, and Antofagasta, the remaining three.

Some 26,406 people have been driven from their homes, and 5,084 are being housed at emergency shelters.

In Atacama, authorities said 5,000 homes suffered major structural damage.

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