SANTIAGO (AP) — Chilean authorities reported on Saturday that the bodies of three militarized police officers were found burned inside a vehicle in an area of southern Chile, in an event that occurs in the midst of a security crisis in the South American country. .
“An extremely serious attack has occurred,” said the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, after confirming the discovery of the bodies of two corporals and a Carabineros sergeant early Saturday morning. She added that a fire crew that had been warned of a vehicle on fire located the bodies inside the car.
The incident occurred in the Cañete area—where groups linked to the Mapuche cause have traditionally operated—in the Biobío region, more than 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) south of the capital, Santiago, according to authorities. At this time no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“With pain, we regret to inform the community and our family about the horrible murder of three of our police officers,” Carabineros reported through the social network They were killed.
In the last month, another militarized police officer died in a violent incident.
“On this significant date, once again we sadly mourn those who give their lives for others,” said the institution, which sent its condolences to the families of the deceased. Precisely on Saturday, Carabinero Day is celebrated.
President Gabriel Boric decreed three days of mourning for the death of the police officers and traveled to the area where in the afternoon he made a speech during the response to the deceased. He announced that on Monday all Chilean public schools will pay tribute to the three murdered agents.
“The people of Chile, the entire society, are with you today,” the president stated to the victims’ relatives, while loud sobs were heard. Boric added that “we are all in deep mourning” and thanked the institution for its heroic work. He highlighted that Carabineros is one of the organizations most valued by Chileans that despite what happened on this day “continue to do their duty.”
The president stated that “there will be no impunity” and that those responsible for the deaths will be pursued “by sky, sea and land” in order to bring them to justice.
In a message to the press, Boric offered condolences “with deep pain” to the families of the police officers “who were brutally murdered, in an act that deserves all the condemnation and repudiation not only of the State of Chile but of Chilean society.” .
Accompanied by the president of the Supreme Court, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, as well as the directors of the investigative police and representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the president maintained that “there can be no fissures here.”
In statements to the Biobío radio station, the general director of the Carabineros, Ricardo Yáñez, already displaced to the region where the events occurred, indicated that the first investigations indicated that the murder had been planned. He urged the rest of the troops to continue working “with their heads held high.”
Yañez also pointed out that in his entire history in the institution, 38 years old, he did not remember the murder of three of its members “on our anniversary” and wondered how long they would regret such events when the only interest of the institution is to guarantee the safety of citizens. The general director is going through a delicate moment in his position when he is still pending a judicial accusation for events linked to human rights violations during the outbreak at the beginning of May, something that would jeopardize his continuity at the head of the agency. .
The incident causes shock in a country that is going through a serious security crisis. In the evening a vigil in the form of a citizen’s mourning was planned.
In the Araucanía and Biobío region, a state of emergency and the presence of the military has been in force since May 2022 to counteract this type of crime, which is frequent in the area and usually targets forestry companies, churches and other institutions.
“This attack goes against all the enormous efforts that have been made” in this area “to end the violence, to find paths of peace to resolve the problems,” said Tohá, who stressed that this attack “is not going to make us take a step back in this effort.”
Of the 19 million Chileans, 10% recognize themselves as Mapuche, who in many cases live in communities. The majority accepts the official policy of handing over small plots of land to groups that often lack the resources to exploit them. Small minority groups reject this plan and carry out violent acts demanding the restitution of the lands of their ancestors, the original inhabitants of Chile.
Currently, most of the land, located between 500 and 700 kilometers south of Santiago, is in the hands of large forestry companies, farm owners and transportation companies.
