Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Bachelet urges calm in Chile, aftershock sows fear

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet called on Chileans on Wednesday to rally around relief and reconstruction efforts, deflecting criticism that her government was slow to respond to one of the world's most powerful earthquakes in a century.
Four days after the 8.8-magnitude quake killed more than 800 people in central Chile, police and troops have managed to quell looting and violence in the hard-hit city of Concepcion, which was rocked by back-to-back aftershocks on Wednesday that sent people fleeing to the hills fearing a new tsunami.
With tensions still running high in the disaster area, an emotional Bachelet urged the population to remain calm in the face of Chile's worst natural disaster in 50 years. She also sought to allay concerns of potential food and fuel shortages....

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