Chile, like Haiti, may take years to rebuild

The reconstruction of Chile could take up to three or four years, as the country rebuilds itself following a devastating earthquake that killed about 800 people.

The announcement was made by Chile’s president Michelle Bachelet, who told Chilean radio: “There are rural areas where everything has tumbled to the ground…infrastructure has been destroyed.”

It would take foreign aid and most of the mandate of President-elect Sebastian Pinera to rebuild, she added.

Three days of national mourning have been declared, to begin on Sunday.

Tremors have continued to rock the nation after Saturday’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest recorded.

One of 6.3 hit the north of the country, 255km (160 miles) north-east of Antofagasta and 1,260km north of the capital Santiago, the US Geological Survey said.

On Wednesday, strong aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 and higher were felt in several cities, including Santiago, and prompted tsunami warnings, which were later lifted.

The cost of the damage, which Ms Bachelet described as “enormous”, has so far been estimated at between $15bn and $30bn.

“Chile has the resources for a number of actions, but we will have to ask for credit from the World Bank and other entities,” Ms Bachelet said.

President-elect Pinera is set to take office next week.

He said his government would be one of reconstruction, with a plan of four clear stages – “to cope with the emergency needs of citizens, find people who are still missing, provide prompt and timely assistance to the sick and wounded, and restore law and order so that people can return to peace”.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to visit Chile on Friday to assess the damage and meet Ms Bachelet and Mr Pinera.

An 18-hour nightly curfew remains in place in Concepcion, Chile’s second largest city, and six other towns badly affected by the earthquake.