Two die as Chile's Atacama Desert floods

COPIAPO, Chile, March 26 (UPI) -- Two people died in flash floods as Chile's Copiapo River overflowed, flooding the Atacama Desert, normally among the world's driest locations.

Heavy rain, beginning Tuesday, in northern Chile's Andes Mountains sent water pouring into valleys below, and the river rose above its banks in Copiapo, a city of about 160,000 people.

Chilean emergency officials said one victim was electrocuted while outdoors, and another died in a mudslide, adding 24 people remain missing. The flooding destroyed roads and disrupted communications, and officials said 38,000 are without power and 48,000 without drinkable water. Interior Minister Rodrigo Penalillo advised those living in the Atacama region to evacuate, and fearful of mudslides, the Chilean military is using helicopters to remove residents.

The 41,000 square mile desert is regarded as the world's driest non-polar desert, with an annual rainfall of only 0.6 inches per year. It is the home of two astronomical observatories, and near the copper and gold mine in which 33 miners were located and brought to the surface in a celebrated 2010 rescue.