Chile steps up search for earthquake victims

Rescue crews have stepped up search missions in towns. (REUTERS)

Chilean rescue crews fanned out with sniffer dogs yesterday around earthquake-ravaged cities and villages, some still hoping to find survivors and others facing the daunting task of recovering bodies buried under mountains of rubble.

Four days after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked south-central Chile and killed nearly 800 people, police and troops managed to quell the looting and violence that brought chaos to the hard-hit city of Concepcion, 115km southeast of the epicenter.

An 18-hour nightly curfew remained in place in Concepcion, one of a handful of cities and villages where some 7,000 soldiers were patrolling the streets to keep order and ensure that food and water were properly distributed.

With aid now flowing to the population in a more orderly fashion, rescue crews stepped up the search mission in towns from Concepcion further north to Constitucion for survivors.

