Chile plagued by looters as aid reaches earthquake-hit country
Chile is plagued by looters as aid begins to reach the earthquake-torn country
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By Adam Leveridge. |  |
Tuesday, 02, Mar 2010 10:10
By Sarah Garrod.
Chile is being plagued by looters as international aid has finally begun to reach the more rural parts of the earthquake-hit country.
The death toll following the natural disaster has reached 723 and rising, although two British couples whose safety was feared have now been in touch with relatives to confirm they are safe and well.
At least half a million homes have been battered by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake, which was the most powerful to hit the country for 50 years. The country's president Michelle Bachelet requested mobile bridges, field hospitals, satellite phones, electrical generators, disaster assessment and co-ordination teams, water purification systems and field kitchens.
Despite aid beginning to reach the country, six aid workers died when a plane carrying them to Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, crashed.
Soldiers have been brought in to control the looting and a curfew has been imposed in Conception, to control the people fighting over goods left amongst the rubble.
Yesterday a statement from foreign office minister Chris Bryant said consular teams are continuing to locate British Nationals in Chile.
"The Chilean earthquake has taken a terrible toll. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured," he said.
"Our consular effort in Chile has been reinforced by an emergency response team from the British Embassy in Buenos Aires and five further staff from London will arrive tomorrow. Our teams in Chile have so far located and checked on over 170 British Nationals, all of whom have confirmed they are safe. At present we have no confirmed reports of British casualties," Mr Bryant added.
The UN said it is sending dozens of satellite telephones to Chile from New York and Geneva, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has offered 30 tons of food support, which is ready to be transported to Chile from nearby Ecuador.
"The earthquake that struck Chile is another distressing example of our vulnerability to natural disasters and the need for greater vigilance and preparedness," said UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova.
"This is especially important for high-risk coastal communities, where there is little time for populations to receive any warning, as was sadly the case for those parts of Chile's coastline that were close to the earthquake's epicentre."