As many as 46 people have been killed in forest fires raging in Chile, President Gabriel Boric said on Saturday. He added that the number of victims is likely to rise, NBC News reported. Chilean Interior Minister Carolina Toha, in a press conference, said 92 active fires are burning in Chile, affecting more than 43,000 hectares. Toha added that more than 1,100 homes have already been impacted.

Boric, in his virtual address, acknowledged the loss of lives and homes and promised Chileans that the government was actively working to provide resources. The president said, "I know that it is a very difficult time to lose the house that was built with so many years of sacrifice. Losing a family member, a loved one, is a heartbreak impossible to measure, but rest assured that our government is deployed with all the human, technical and budgetary resources."