Chilean city's curfew continues after quake

An overnight curfew in the Chilean city of Concepcion was extended until noon local time Tuesday as looting continued in the aftermath of Saturday's massive earthquake.

The 8.8-magnitude quake has killed at least 723 people and damaged at least 500,000 homes.

The World Health Organization says it expects those grim figures to rise as communication and transportation improve and allow rescue workers to contact hard-to-reach communities.

In Concepcion, the country's second-largest city, markets were sacked on Sunday and looting continued on Monday, prompting government officials to impose the curfew and deploy close to 7,000 troops to patrol the streets.

One man was reportedly shot and killed, and about 160 people have been arrested in the city as police try to maintain order.

Rescue workers were still searching for survivors amid the rubble in Concepcion.
Michael Black, a Santiago aid worker with World Vision, a non-government agency, said the death toll could reach 1,000.

“We thought in the first 24 hours that we were coping with it,” Black said. “Now we’re finding out every hour that the magnitude of this is gigantic.”

The quake also damaged both airports and roads, including the Pan-American Highway, Chile's main north-south thoroughfare

President Michelle Bachelet made an official request for aid on Monday, saying the country need generators, water purification systems and satellite phones to continue relief operations.

Chile's neighbours have led the way in pledging aid. Argentina says it is sending six aircraft loaded with a field hospital, 55 doctors and water treatment plants, while Brazilan President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also pledged to send a field hospital and aid during a brief visit on Monday.

Peruvian President Alan García is scheduled to meet with Bachelet on Tuesday after pledging to send a field hospital and 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is also scheduled to meet with Bachelet on Tuesday at Santiago airport, part of a previously arranged five-country Latin American trip.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon issued an update on Monday night saying there have been no reports of Canadians seriously affected by the earthquake.

"We have been able to locate 520 Canadians in Chile and are actively trying to establish contact with 337 Canadians in the region who have not yet been located," Cannon said.

He said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas) Peter Kent had met with his Chilean counterpart to discuss Chile's needs.

Source:cbc.ca/

UK relief charity teams fly to Chile earthquake zone

Specialist teams from British charities are being sent to Chile after a massive earthquake in the South American country left scores dead.

Prime Minster Gordon Brown said Britain would do whatever it could to help after the quake in the centre of Chile.

Aid organisations including Oxfam and Save the Children have made an urgent appeal for donations as emergency teams prepare to fly in to the affected area.

Worried UK-based relatives have been contacting Chile's embassy in London.

Rafael Moreno, the Chilean ambassador, said: "One girl studying for a degree in London phoned me because her family is on the spot where the earthquake reached almost nine.

Our fear is that this quake will have had large scale impact

British Red Cross
"She was in tears, so I calmed her down and told her I will personally do research about the family and I will call her as soon as I have information."

Oxfam is sending a team of water engineers and logisticians from Colombia and is also contacting partner organisations in Chile so that the humanitarian response is as fast as possible.

Jeremy Loveless, Oxfam's deputy humanitarian director, said: "Chile is a developed country with a very capable government and while it is unlikely that this disaster will be as severe as what we saw last month in Haiti, we want to be in place to help as soon as possible."

'Challenging situation'

A spokesman for Save the Children said: "We are assessing the situation and preparing to mobilise teams to support our partners working on the ground."

The charity is also working in Haiti following the earthquake which left thousands dead there in January.

Matt Wingate, emergencies adviser for the charity, said: "It's a challenging situation to have two in the same region so quickly after one another."

The British Red Cross released £50,000 from its Disaster Fund to support the response of the Chilean Red Cross.

Pete Garratt, British Red Cross disaster relief manager, said: "We anticipate the situation in the worst affected areas closer to the epicentre to be much more serious.

"Our fear is that this quake will have had large scale impact.

"The Chilean Red Cross are experienced in reacting to natural disasters and we are making this immediate release of funds to support their relief efforts."

Source:bbc.co.uk