Deadly wildfires are tearing through southern Chile, killing at least 18 people and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as extreme heat and strong winds fuel rapidly spreading flames. President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the hard-hit Ñuble and Bío Bío regions, about 500 kilometers south of Santiago.  

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the South Atlantic Ocean near the Chilean Antarctic region and the Drake Passage — one of the world’s most dangerous seas. The quake hit over 700 km southeast of Ushuaia, Argentina, shaking fears of a tsunami threat across the Americas. Chile’s Navy issued a precautionary tsunami alert for its Antarctic territories.