Court rules families of victims of 2010 quake can sue former president and officials over failings in tsunami warning system
BOGOTA (AlertNet) - A Chilean court has ruled that the families of some of the people who died in last year's earthquake can sue former president Michelle Bachelet and other senior government officials over failings in the country's tsunami warning system, local media have reported.
More than 500 people died following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it triggered, devastating coastal towns in central and southern Chile.
Raul Meza, the lawyer representing over 100 plaintiffs, accuses Bachelet, two former ministers and the head of ONEMI, Chile’s national emergency agency, of "denial of assistance".
"The former president made technical decisions that she was not qualified to make. The country needs to know the truth," Meza told local reporters.
Following the Feb. 27 earthquake, the Chilean authorities were widely criticised by the local media over their slow and confused handling of the disaster and failure to issue a timely nationwide tsunami warning immediately after the quake.
The head of Chile's oceanographic service (SHOA), who was responsible for raising tsunami alerts, was sacked shortly after the earthquake.
So far, the Chilean government has given 120,000 subsidies to families who lost their homes during the earthquake.
But almost one year on from the disaster, around 4,000 families are still living in temporary shelters, according to the government.
Chilean authorities say reconstruction will take another three years. Damage caused to homes and the country's infrastructure has reached $30 billion, representing 18 percent of Chile's gross national product.
Bachelet has since taken on a new role as head of U.N. Women, the agency promoting women’s rights
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