SANTIAGO, April 1 -- Floods in northern Chile have killed four Chinese citizens, the Chinese Embassy in Chile told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The local rescue team confirmed to the embassy on Wednesday that three Chinese citizens were found dead, including two men, aged 36 and 45 respectively, and a 42-year-old woman.

The men were engineers at the Chilean subsidiary of a Chinese road and bridge construction company, and were working at a mining exploration base in northern Atacama when the floods hit last week.

Their colleague was confirmed dead on March 28.

The Chinese Embassy in Chile had been in touch with the Chilean authorities to try to find the missing Chinese citizens. More than six Chinese citizens had been saved by a Chilean rescue team.

Northern Chile was declared a catastrophe zone after torrential rains last Wednesday dumped the largest amount of rainfall in 80 years, flooding inland towns and roadways, isolating communities and disrupting basic services, such as water and electricity.

The death toll from the floods has climbed to 23, while 57 people remained missing, officials said.