VINA DEL MAR, Chile — A member of the Chilean navy who was off duty drove his personal vehicle into a crowded open-air market in the coastal city of Vina del Mar on Sunday, leaving several people dead, according to an official statement from the navy.
Video footage shared on social media, captured by a residential security camera, appears to show the moment the vehicle slammed into the market stalls. Additional videos show the driver being hurried into a nearby police car as furious bystanders chased after him.
“The accident resulted in the deaths of several people and left others with injuries of varying severity,” the navy said in its statement, noting that the branch is working alongside authorities to determine exactly what led to the crash.
While the navy did not specify the exact number of fatalities, local media in Chile reported at least six people had died. Hospital officials at Gustavo Fricke Hospital confirmed five injured individuals — among them two babies — were admitted with various traumatic injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Two additional injured people were treated and released.
“At this stage of the evaluation, they are stable and out of life-threatening danger, but of course they are still awaiting the completion of all the examinations required in these cases,” said Denise Cataldo, the hospital’s deputy director.
Interior Undersecretary Máximo Pavez confirmed that the navy member — the sole person detained in connection with the incident — tested negative on a breathalyzer.
Col. Jorge Guaita, the police prefect for Vina del Mar, told reporters that the driver claims to have no recollection of what happened, and that investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
“Witness statements from people who saw the crash indicate that the vehicle was traveling in the correct direction of traffic, at high speed,” Guaita said. He added that the car jumped onto the sidewalk and spun around before coming to a stop. “Fortunately, the bus stop brought it to a halt. Otherwise, it might have continued forward and caused even more damage,” he said.
Some witnesses told local media they believe the driver may have lost control after a collision with another vehicle.
Chilean President José Antonio Kast addressed the tragedy on X, writing that the incident had plunged “the entire country in mourning.” He added: “All state institutions are working to assist those affected and to establish with complete clarity the responsibilities for this painful event.”
The Caupolican market, where the crash occurred, is a large open-air market held every Thursday and Sunday in the upper section of Vina del Mar. It features more than 1,000 vendor stalls along with informal sellers in the surrounding streets, and typically draws large crowds of shoppers.
