Chile quake death toll hits 708 as rescue ramps up

Two million people affected,death toll to rise as several people still buried under the rubble....

Heroism and banditry mingled on Chile’s shattered streets as rescuers braved aftershocks digging for survivors and the government sent soldiers and ordered a nighttime curfew to quell looting. The death toll climbed to 708 in one of the biggest earthquakes in centuries.

In the hard-hit city of Concepcion,firefighters pulling survivors from a toppled apartment block were forced to pause because of tear gas fired to stop looters,who were wheeling off everything from microwave ovens to canned milk at a damaged supermarket across the street.

Efforts to determine the full scope of destruction were undermined by an endless string of terrifying aftershocks that continued to turn buildings into rubble. Officials said yesterday 5,00,000 houses were destroyed or badly damaged,and President Michele Bachelet said a growing number of people were listed as missing.

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We are facing a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort” to recover,Bachelet said after meeting for six hours with ministers and generals in La Moneda Palace,itself chipped and cracked.

She signed a decree giving the military control over security in the province of Concepcion,where looters were pillaging supermarkets,gas stations,pharmacies and banks. Bachelet,who leaves office on March 11,said the country would accept some of the offers of aid that have poured in from around the world.

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