Ten people on Thursday were killed in accidents across Chile during the first hours of 2009, police said.
The worst accident happened near Cunco Locality, about 700 km from Santiago, when three people died as their van fell into a river, said Chief of the Carabineros (national police) Jose Luiz Ojeda.
He attributed the accidents to recklessness of the pedestrians and drivers, Xinhua reported.
In another development, a woman died when she fell from the fifth floor in Santiago, while celebrating the New Year.
In the city of Coquimbo, a man killed himself with dynamite in his mouth.
Besides the 10 dead, 15 percent more than those registered during the same period last year, there was also an undetermined number of injuries, police said.
The Carabineros said that 1,800 people died from traffic accidents in Chile in 2008.
