Chile President : Quake Toll at 708

More than doubles the known dead
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 28, 2010 1:03 PM CST
Chile President : Quake Toll at 708
A man run away from tear gas, shot by police officers, during looting in Concepcion, Chile, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. A 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile early Saturday.    (Natacha Pisarenko)

President Michelle Bachelet says that Chile's earthquake killed at least 708 people—sharply increasing the known death toll from about 300. The president tells a news conference that the country faces "a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort" for Chile to recover. The announcement came after a six-hour meeting with aides and emergency officials coping with yesterday's magnitude-8.8 quake. (More Michelle Bachelet stories.)

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