Troops doubled in bid to combat looting

THOUSANDS more troops were deployed across quake-hit Chile yesterday as residents took up arms to stop a wave of mass looting in the nation’s second city, slapped with an 18-hour curfew.

President Michelle Bachelet doubled the number of troops patrolling the worst hit areas to 14,000, as people in ravaged Concepcion were barred from leaving their homes from 6pm to midday.

“Military personnel will be present in the streets of Concepcion until midday to maintain public order, and they will not waver in carrying out their duties,” warned General Guillermo Ramirez.

A curfew was also imposed on three other towns badly damaged by Saturday’s quake, which was so strong it triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami.

The curfew, unprecedented since the end of the 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, is likely to trigger concern in the South American country.

But Bachelet defended her government’s handling of the crisis, amid anger at the slow arrival of aid to the worst hit areas.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a small dent in Chile’s growing needs following a massive earthquake, handing over 25 satellite phones while promising more yesterday in the country’s capital. “We stand ready to help in any way that the government of Chile asks us to. We want to help Chile who has done so much to help others,” Clinton said during a brief visit to Chile that took her nowhere near areas with heavy damage. She spent most of her time at the airport, which appeared unscathed.