Quake Toll in Chile Rises

Deaths Pass 700 as Looting Breaks Out in Country's Hard-Hit Southern Region
FEBRUARY 28, 2010
By ANTHONY ESPOSITO and SERGIO ABARCA in Pelluhue, Chile,
and MATT MOFFETT in Santiago

Chile scrambled to dig out survivors and contain looting as the death toll from one of history's most powerful earthquakes mounted to more than 700 people.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet dispatched 10,000 troops to restore order and help rescue efforts in hard-hit southern towns. Ms. Bachelet predicted the number of dead would grow. Two million people were displaced, she said.

"We're facing an unthinkable catastrophe that will require an enormous effort in resources," Ms. Bachelet said in a nationally televised address. the rest

Chile troops, police attack post-quake looting