MASS HYSTERIA is to blame for unfounded fears of continual looting in Santiago city, according to police, who claim the situation in the post-earthquake capital is “absolutely under control”.
Hundreds of shops in the city centre closed their doors early on Tuesday evening, responding to rumours of widespread looting which prompted a call for military intervention.
Meanwhile, yesterday a strong 5.9-magnitude aftershock offshore of the Chilean coast sparked panic in the southern-central town of Concepción. Emergency officials said there was no risk of a tsunami hitting the area but scared residents fled to higher ground, according to witnesses.
Santiago mayor Pablo Zalaquett called for the armed forces to be deployed in certain parts of the city, citing “a wave of chaos” and “the great atmosphere of insecurity”. However, a spokesperson for the police, Miguel Ángel Castro responded: “Everything is absolutely under control, both in the centre as well as other parts of the capital. A mass hysteria has been created without foundation – all of the claims [of looting] are false.”
Government ministers and business representatives moved to assure the country that ample food and fuel were available. Speaking from La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago, yesterday, minister for housing Andrés Velasco said there was no reason to panic.
“There is no reason to fear for food and supplies such as petrol or diesel. We have more than is sufficient,” he said. “People have no need to buy more than is needed.”
Sharing a platform, Rafael Guilisasti, president of the Confederation of Production and Commerce, said business would work with government to keep supplies and commerce running and was committed to helping the reconstruction of the country.
Essential aid continues to arrive in the worst-affected areas, as pledges of foreign help increase. The lion’s share is going to Concepción, badly hit by the earthquake, and Constitución, which was almost obliterated by the tsunami that followed.
The military presence in the two regions has increased to almost 12,000 personnel, with an 18-hour curfew being strictly enforced.
A fundraising telethon is scheduled for national television tomorrow, where the target is to raise €21 million to build some 15,000 emergency houses.
The official death toll has now reached over 800 people. Rescuers believe six people are alive in a collapsed apartment block in Concepción which has been difficult to enter because of aftershocks.