Chile Mourns Dead In
Quake, Relief Efforts Rolled Out
SANTIAGO - Chile on Sunday began three days
of mourning for those who died in the Feb.
27 devastating earthquake, as disaster
relief and aid efforts have been rolled out.
Eight days after the 8.8-magnitude
earthquake, normalcy is returning, thanks to
domestic relief efforts and international
help.
A charity fund-raising party, which drew
celebrities from Chile and abroad, raised
30.2 billion pesos (about 60 million U.S.
dollars), which would be used to provide
shelter for 20,000 families, local media
reported on Sunday.
The funds will be injected into a charity
project headed by President-elect Sebastian
Pinera.
On Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
visited Chile, vowing to help Chilean people
with their relief efforts and offering 10
million U.S. dollars in aid to the quake-hit
country.
"I am very moved by such strong
determination by the people on the ground,"
said Ban, who had promised to deliver a
report on the quake to the United Nations
next week.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said
Friday that 35 nations had responded to
specific aid requests, including tents from
China, bottled water from Bolivia, seismic
equipment from France, water purifiers from
Russia, satellite phones from the United
States, and pontoons from Sweden.
She welcomed the emergency aid worth 2
million U.S. dollars from China that arrived
early Friday.
On Saturday, Japan delivered a batch of
relief supplies worth around 30 million yen
(332,000 U.S. dollars) to Chile as part of
its promised 3 million-dollar aid.
Recovery efforts are being made in the
quake-affected areas.
The authorities shortened a curfew from 18
to 13 hours in Concepcion on Saturday, and
reduced curfews in Arauca, Nuble and Biobio
provinces.
The military chief of the region, General
Guillermo Ramirez, said: "We think it is
right to reduce the time of the curfew
because it is producing traffic jams and
because the normality state in Concepcion
proves that people can have more free time
during the day to do their daily
activities."
In Concepcion, life is slowly returning to
normal. People were queuing patiently for
water and food. Troops were patrolling the
streets. Electricity and water have been
restored in most parts of the city.
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck near
Chile's second-largest city Concepcion on
Feb. 27, in which 452 had been confirmed
dead all across the country and about 2
million people left homeless.
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