CHILE, February 28, 2010.— Chilean President Michelle Bachelet stated this Sunday that the number of dead as a consequence of the devastating earthquake of 8.8 magnitude on the Richter scale that shook the country on Saturday has risen to 708, and she appealed to all sectors to make a "gigantic effort" in order to overcome this "unparalleled emergency in the nation’s history. " After a coordination meeting, Bachelet acknowledged that the figure would doubtless grow, and noted that there are a significant number of people missing, while the total of those affected is around two million, Europa Press reports. The president, who completes her mandate on March 11, announced that the government has reached an agreement with the country’s principal supermarket chains for the "free and orderly handover" of basic foodstuffs in the regions of Maule, Biobió and certain sectors of Araucranía, in the wake of raids on supermarkets in the city of Concepción. She added that a 30-day state of exceptional disaster has been decreed in Maule and Biobío in order to "guarantee the situation of public order in the most affected area and to speed up aid." The army is to participate in this operation and is also helping to remove the rubble, Bachelet noted. In a previous televised speech, Bachelet informed that the destructive force of the earthquake had affected 80% of the population, a situation that she described as a tragedy. (Cubaminrex – Granma Internacional) |