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BBC MUNDO RADIO
Updated: 18 minutes ago
(Feb. 28) - About 100 people are feared trapped in a collapsed 14-story apartment building in Concepcion, Chile, Sunday, one day after a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the region, claiming at least 300 lives and displacing a reported 2 million people.
Rescue workers labored through the night in their search for survivors in the wreckage, as Concepcion's mayor, Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, pushed for increased assistance from the Chilean government, saying on national television that "time is of the essence to save the people" who are believed to be trapped.
"It fell at the moment the earthquake began," 4th Lt. Juan Schulmeyer of Concepcion's 7th Firefighter Company, told Reuters of the apartment building. After 24 hours, 16 people were pulled out alive and six bodies were recovered, according to published reports.
One resident, Fernando Abarzua, emerged with no major injuries.
"I was on the eighth floor and all of a sudden I was down here," he told the London Times from the ground floor.
Firefighters reportedly used thermal detectors to search for signs of life in the collapsed building, even as more than 60 aftershocks, including one measured at 6.1-magnitude Sunday, caused the ground to shake in hard-hit Concepcion, where officials said at least 100 people died.
"We spent the whole night working, smashing through walls to find survivors," Commander Marcelo Plaza told the Times. "The biggest problem is fuel, we need fuel for our machinery and water for our people."
Chile's outgoing President, Michelle Bachelet, declared a "state of catastrophe" and urged people to limit their gas and electric use in the aftermath of the quake that sent a tsunami rippling across the Pacific.
"Chile has had disasters, we had many earthquakes, but this is the worst we've had in the past 30 years," President-elect Sebastian Piñera said at a news conference.
Across Concepcion and its outskirts, survivors took stock of what remains in the rubble. The National Office of Emergency reported 2 million people have been displaced by the earthquake, with more than a million homes damaged or destroyed. Rescue workers and citizens alike relied on sledgehammers and shovels to dig through the wreckage, searching not only for loved ones, but for food and supplies.
Looters descended on supermarkets and electronic stores, according to reports, as police fought them with tear gas and water cannons. Mayor van Rysselberghe condemned the looting a "unjustifiable" on a Chilean radio station, but one man looting at a supermarket told Reuters he was simply trying to survive.
"People have gone days without eating," Orlando Salazar said. "The only option is to come here and get stuff for ourselves."
Rescue workers labored through the night in their search for survivors in the wreckage, as Concepcion's mayor, Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, pushed for increased assistance from the Chilean government, saying on national television that "time is of the essence to save the people" who are believed to be trapped.
"It fell at the moment the earthquake began," 4th Lt. Juan Schulmeyer of Concepcion's 7th Firefighter Company, told Reuters of the apartment building. After 24 hours, 16 people were pulled out alive and six bodies were recovered, according to published reports.
Chile Rocked by Earthquake
Police search for victims Sunday in the wreckage of Pelluhue, about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, one day after a monster 8.8-magnitude struck Chile.
AP
AP
One resident, Fernando Abarzua, emerged with no major injuries.
"I was on the eighth floor and all of a sudden I was down here," he told the London Times from the ground floor.
Firefighters reportedly used thermal detectors to search for signs of life in the collapsed building, even as more than 60 aftershocks, including one measured at 6.1-magnitude Sunday, caused the ground to shake in hard-hit Concepcion, where officials said at least 100 people died.
"We spent the whole night working, smashing through walls to find survivors," Commander Marcelo Plaza told the Times. "The biggest problem is fuel, we need fuel for our machinery and water for our people."
Chile's outgoing President, Michelle Bachelet, declared a "state of catastrophe" and urged people to limit their gas and electric use in the aftermath of the quake that sent a tsunami rippling across the Pacific.
"Chile has had disasters, we had many earthquakes, but this is the worst we've had in the past 30 years," President-elect Sebastian Piñera said at a news conference.
Across Concepcion and its outskirts, survivors took stock of what remains in the rubble. The National Office of Emergency reported 2 million people have been displaced by the earthquake, with more than a million homes damaged or destroyed. Rescue workers and citizens alike relied on sledgehammers and shovels to dig through the wreckage, searching not only for loved ones, but for food and supplies.
Looters descended on supermarkets and electronic stores, according to reports, as police fought them with tear gas and water cannons. Mayor van Rysselberghe condemned the looting a "unjustifiable" on a Chilean radio station, but one man looting at a supermarket told Reuters he was simply trying to survive.
"People have gone days without eating," Orlando Salazar said. "The only option is to come here and get stuff for ourselves."
