Brazilian aid for
Chile includes field hospitals, portable
bridges
BRASILIA - Brazil will help Chile's
earthquake relief efforts by sending field
hospitals, medical equipment and portable
bridges, a Chilean diplomat said on Monday.
Chilean Ambassador to Brazil Alvaro Diaz
Perez told Brazil's official news agency
that the Brazilian aid will be coordinated
by both governments to assist the victims of
the 8.8-magnitude quake, which ravaged Chile
early Saturday and killed at least 723
people.
He said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva tried to talk to his Chilean
counterpart Michelle Bachelet on Monday
morning, but couldn't reach her by phone due
to technical problems.
Soon after the quake, the diplomat said,
Lula ordered his security team and the
foreign ministry to make initial assessments
of the situation and assistance measures to
be taken by Brazil.
Perez said that the top priority now is to
take care of injured people and to recover
the bodies buried under the debris.
"Food and bottled water are not necessary,"
he said.
"What we need are field hospitals, rescue
equipment, support for the power generation
system and structures for modular bridges,"
said the ambassador, adding that the issue
is being discussed with the Brazilian
cabinet.
The diplomat said there has been no reports
of Brazilian victims from the disaster.
"I ask Brazilians who are in Chile and want
to go home as well as Chileans who are in
Brazil and want to return home to be
confident, " he said, adding that
"everything will be solved and the whole
system will be rebuilt."
He also noted that Chile has a sovereign
fund of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars from copper
exports, which it can be used in crises like
this.
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