Chile: Rising from the ashes
The air is thick with the stench of rotten fish in the ruined port of Talcahuano, southern Chile, but people here fear that it may really be the smell of the dead.
Residents think untold numbers of people may have been trapped under rubble or mud when they scrambled for the hills overlooking the port in the middle of the night last Saturday when a devastating, magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck nearby, unleashing a tsunami that flattened towns along the coast.
A 25,000-tonne merchant ship, its red-and-black hull now wedged in the pier, bears testament to the power of the wave. It had been in a shipyard for repairs, but was thrust along by the tsunami.
Aid poured in for Chile from home and overseas, with a local television station hoping to raise $27 million by Saturday and the United Nations pledging funds toward recovery efforts after a massive earthquake.
“Chile Helps Chile,” a telethon that started Friday, runs until Saturday night, according to TV Chile’s Web site. The site includes phone numbers and and e-mails for making donations in nearly 20 countries outside the South American nation.
Hundreds of people died when the 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile last Saturday. The world’s fifth-strongest earthquake since 1900 resulted in a tsunami that toppled buildings, particularly in the Maule region along the coast.
It’s still unclear exactly how many people died.
Army divers have been searching the waters near the city of Constitucion for the bodies of as many as 400 tourists who were camping on an island during a summer festival.
“There were horrible screams. People calling out for us to go and rescue them. They were crying for help. But there was nothing we could do,” local fisherman Agustin Diaz said.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday pledged up to $10 million to support relief and recovery efforts during a two-day visit, where he met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
“Chile has been extraordinarily generous in assisting Haiti in its time of need,” Ban said, noting the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti on January 12.
“Now is the moment for the United Nations and the international community to stand with Chile and its people.”
Ban also announced a team effort between U.N. agencies and the Chilean government to determine the priority areas for funds, especially in health, shelters, education and water. The secretary-general plans to visit hard-hit Concepcion to assess the damage and bring the matter in front of the United Nations.
