China, UN offer aid to quake-hit Chile
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As China and the United Nations have unleashed their efforts to help quake-stricken Chile on Friday, the Chileans also began a telethon, calling on the less affected to help the most needy.
Carrying 90 tons of aid, including 10,000 blankets, 700 tents, 100 generators and two water purification plants, Air China Cargo's Boeing 747-400 arrived at the international airport in the Chilean capital city of Santiago.
The supply was a collective contribution from China's cities like Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Nanjing, Weihai and Suzhou in a drive organized by the ministries of foreign affairs, defense and finance.
Last Saturday, a strong earthquake of 8.8 magnitude shook Chile, in which,according to the latest official data, 452 people have been confirmed dead while the total death toll remained unclear at this moment.
With stopover in Los Angles and 29 hours of flight, the Chinese cargo plane has completed a foreign assistance mission in the most remote place it has ever been to. The aid has also been the farthest of its kind coming to Chile, Chinese officials said.
It is the first time China has sent a chartered cargo plane to send materials to South America.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Friday hailed the shipment, saying it "really expresses China's authentic willingness to collaborate and support Chile.
"This is a gesture that shows the excellence of the links we have had with China," she said.
At a joint press conference with Bachelet, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said 14 UN agencies are now helping with the disaster relief efforts. The world body has committed to Chile 10 million U.S. dollars from its emergency funds.
"The UN will authorize 10 million dollars from a central emergency response fund," Ban told journalists. "We will also establish a working group to look at Chile's most urgent needs," he added.
The working group will include the outgoing President Bachelet, her team, and also members sent by President-elect Sebastian Pinera.
Presently, 86 countries and 16 non-governmental organizations have shipped their aid to Chile.
Bachelet appreciated Bolivia for reaching out for help even though the two countries have no diplomatic relations.
Bachelet also said the quake had affected 130 clinics and rendered 13 completely unusable.
"One of the calls we are making to the international community is for field hospitals that we can later buy," she said.
She was also urging mayors and regional authorities to locate temporary shelters in areas where emergency sanitation can swiftly be implemented.
Also on Friday, Chile began a two-day telethon called "Chile helps Chile," expecting to raise 15 billion Chilean pesos (30 million U.S. dollars).
The telethon encourages viewers and listeners to contribute via local banks or a program where musicians perform for free.
The show includes contributions from two of the region's most famous singers. The telethon's first priority would be to help around 30,000 people left homeless due to the tsunami that ravaged Chile's coastal areas.
The Chilean Navy on Friday fired the director of its Oceanography and Hydrography Service, which failed to issue a warning on the deadly tsunami following last Saturday's earthquake.
Earlier in the week, Chile's defense minister admitted that the government had erred by not warning of a deadly tidal wave that swept the coast hours after the quake, reaching close to 2.5 meters in height in some areas.
Friday also saw a 6.6-magnitude aftershock, the strongest since last week's megaquake. It struck around 8.47 a.m. (1147 GMT) off the coast of the Bio Bio region.
Chile has suffered seven aftershocks above 5-magnitude in the past 12 hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
