(Updates death toll)
BOGOTA (AlertNet) - Widespread damage to Chile's roads and bridges is stopping urgent emergency help from reaching communities hit by a massive earthquake last week, aid agencies say.
Across Chile's worst hit central coastal region, hundreds of quake victims remain stranded and without electricity and drinking water, after the strongest earthquake in 50 years hit off Chile's Pacific coast on Friday and killed more than 700 people.
Blocked main roads, broken sewers, fallen electricity towers and phone lines and collapsed bridges have made it difficult for aid agencies and government relief teams to reach remote farming and fishing towns in the worst affected provinces.
"The structural collapse has been severe. This has affected the roads, and assessing the needs and damage is difficult," Rodolfo Bergantino, spokesperson for the Americas at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told AlertNet from Panama City.
"Hospitals have been also affected and some don't have any communication systems. The main needs are to supply electrical support to hospital and provide them generators," he added.
Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, lying around 90 km from the epicentre was particularly hard hit, and remains without access to clean drinking water.
Local television footage shows the widespread destruction caused by a tsunami triggered by the quake along Chile's Pacific Coast, with scores of wooden homes destroyed and fishing boats overturned and strewn across a large area.
As emergency services and search and rescue teams reach remote communities, government officials warn the death toll, currently at 763, is likely to rise.
Michelle Bachelet, Chile's president, has described the disaster as one without comparison in the history of Chile. She said the government's immediate priority was to provide water and restore electricity and phone lines. The government is assessing the damage and needs from the air.
The Chilean government is in charge of the relief effort, with the country's police and army coordinating the distribution of shelter, food and water. Around 10,000 troops have been deployed to the most affected areas to help clear rubble and ensure public order. A night curfew has been imposed in Concepcion as government troops struggle to quell looting from local supermarkets.
"In Chile the government is taking the lead, and we're looking at filling the gaps - whereas in Haiti, it was a total disaster and a case of often starting from scratch," Kate Redman, chief communications officer at Save the Children, told Reuters AlertNet.
COST OF RECONSTRUCTION
Chile's president elect, Sebastian Pinera, who takes office on March 11, estimates the massive rebuilding effort could total around $30 billion, equivalent to about 15 percent of Chile's gross domestic product. Around 1.5 million homes have been destroyed, and repairing hospitals could cost up to $5 billion, according to Pinera.
Decades of political stability and one of the strongest economies in Latin America make Chile relatively well equipped and prepared to deal with the aftermath of the 8.8 quake, experts say.
Over the past decades, Chile has experienced powerful earthquakes, notably the magnitude 9.5 Chilean earthquake in 1960. As a result, earthquake drills at schools, evacuation plans and quake-resistant building codes are commonplace across Chile.
(Additional reporting by Katie Nguyen in London)
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