Heavy rain and winds hit the southern cone of South America over the weekend, battering the Chilean coastline and leading to the precautionary suspension of work at some mines in the top copper exporter.

Over 1,000 people from Antofagasta in the far north to Los Rios in the south of Chile were affected, with some being housed in shelters after being evacuated or losing their homes to floods, and over 120,000 left without electricity, the emergency service Onemi said on Sunday.

Three people died as a result of the storms in the city of Tocopilla in the Antofagasta region, while another three were killed in accidents along the coast, local media reported.