Chile floods halt schools and fuel criticism of government bonus payouts

Intense storms across Chile have caused at least 13 deaths, left many missing under floodwaters and destroyed thousands of homes. The crisis has intensified public anger over recently announced bonuses for senior officials, including Finance Minister Jorge Quiróz’s close aides, whose pay increases total tens of millions of pesos.

The Ministry of Education announced that classes will be suspended on Monday in five northern communes of the Coquimbo and Atacama regions, with extensions to Wednesday in Atacama, due to damage to school facilities and ongoing reconstruction work. The National Weather Service warned of heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail in the central‑southern zones of Maule, Ñuble, Biobío and La Araucanía, while the National Emergency Office (Senapred) issued a yellow alert for six communes in Ñuble over possible river flooding. Repair work continues on the vital Route 5 north, where traffic is limited to daylight hours.

The overlapping humanitarian, educational and political impacts underscore the growing social tension as Chile grapples with the flood disaster and debates over public spending on high‑level bonuses.