A herd of sheep is seen, after great snowfall at the outskirts of Coyhaique city, south of Chile June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

Most of those displaced live in the southern region of Biobio, where rivers overflowed and 34,000 lost power. Authorities said they were continuing to monitor the storm front, which first hit the country on Thursday night.

The South American country’s largest copper mines, mostly located in the north, have not reported any impact on operations from the storm. Chile is the world’s largest producer of the red metal.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

SANTIAGO: Intense rains and snowstorms in central and southern Chile have left four people dead and nearly 3,000 homeless, as well as hundreds of thousands without power, authorities said on Saturday.

Most of those displaced live in the southern region of Biobio, where rivers overflowed and 34,000 lost power. Authorities said they were continuing to monitor the storm front, which first hit the country on Thursday night.

The South American country's largest copper mines, mostly located in the north, have not reported any impact on operations from the storm. Chile is the world's largest producer of the red metal.</s>SANTIAGO – At least four people have been killed in south-central Chile due to torrential rainfall which has also damaged the homes of nearly 3,000 people.

The violent weather that began Thursday slammed nine regions of central and southern Chile, the National Emergency Office said Sunday.

More than 230,000 residents were left without power, the government agency added.

A number of residents in Curanilahue, some 600 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago, have lost their homes, cars and businesses to flooding.

Struggling to control the water, they are now hoping for help from the government to get back on their feet.

Some streets were flooded Saturday in the capital Santiago, while traffic lights were out and some neighborhoods still had no power.

The National Weather Service said the weather was expected to improve somewhat later today.</s>The rains, which caused rivers to overflow their banks in mountain valleys near Chile's capital, Santiago, had isolated 373 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday.

The drinking-water supply for over a million households in Santiago had been affected, and Aguas Andinas, the company that provides water to the capital, said rains were making repairs difficult.

"Emergency teams are working on the ground to connect with isolated persons and re-establish the water supply wherever possible," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet wrote on Twitter.

In the O'Higgins region, south of Santiago, a 12-year-old girl was killed when a landslide swept away the car in which she was travelling.

In the San Jose de Maipo valley, directly above the city, emergency crews had to clear the roads of debris before residents could evacuate to lower, less mountainous ground.

It was the second major flooding event to hit central Chile in the past year. Last April, heavy rains battered the San Jose de Maipo valley, killing one and shutting production at some of the largest copper mines in the world.

Mining giants Antofagasta, state-owned Codelco [COBRE.UL], and Anglo American have sizeable deposits in the zone affected by this weekend's rains.

All three said production had not been affected.</s>The rains, which caused rivers to overflow their banks in mountain valleys near Chile's capital, Santiago, have isolated 373 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday. The drinking-water supply for over a million households in Santiago has been affected, and Aguas Andinas, the company that provides water to the capital, said rains were making repairs difficult.

"Emergency teams are working on the ground to connect with isolated personas and re-establish the water supply wherever possible," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet wrote on Twitter.

In the O'Higgins region, south of Santiago, a 12-year-old girl was killed when a landslide swept away the car in which she was traveling.

In the San Jose de Maipo valley, directly above the city, emergency crews had to clear the roads of debris before residents could evacuate to lower, less mountainous ground.

It was the second major flooding event to hit central Chile in the past year. Last April, heavy rains battered the San Jose de Maipo valley, killing one and causing major flooding in downtown Santiago after a river breached its banks. (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Peter Cooney)</s>Torrential rainfall in south-central Chile has claimed the lives of at least four people. A number of residents in Curanilahue, some 600 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago, have lost their homes, cars and businesses to flooding.

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Four people are killed as intense rains and snowstorms hit central and southern Chile. About 3,000 people are homeless, and hundreds of thousands have lost power.