CONCEPCION: Chileans fear of aftershocks camped outside on Sunday in towns shattered by a violent earthquake, officials find it difficult to grasp the extent of damage to the country's transport, energy and infrastructure housing. One of the most powerful earthquakes of the world in a century hammered Chile early Saturday, killing over 300 people, it toppled buildings and triggered a tsunami that pushed across the Pacific. While the balance apparently low death could be regarded as a chance to escape such a strong quake, the earthquake has dealt a serious blow to infrastructure in the world No. 1 copper producer and one of the most stable economies in Latin America. A tsunami killed at least four people on the Juan Fernandez Islands in Chile and caused serious damage to the port city of Talcahuano. Across the Pacific coast north of Japan had the tsunami waves of up to 36 inches (90 cm) and officials feared the highest could be coming. Authorities in the peninsula of Kamchatka Russian Far East has reported waves of 31 inches (80 cm), but no damage was reported and the tsunami warning was lifted. Two million people in Chile have been affected by the earthquake, said President Michelle Bachelet, adding that officials were still trying to assess the "huge amount of damage." The earthquake has raised a first challenge for the billionaire Sebastian Pinera, who was elected president of Chile in January to a shift to the political right, who takes office in two weeks. "We are preparing an additional task, a task that was not part of our plan administration take responsibility for rebuilding our country," he told reporters Saturday. "This will be a very important task and we need resources." Some economists predict a profound impact on the economy of Chile, after the earthquake damaged its industrial and agricultural sectors in the areas most affected are likely to put pressure on its currency. Government officials said that the copper industry has had sufficient stocks to meet its commitments despite a production shutdown at two large mines in the tsunamis. But the government has a duty to help rebuild Chileans half a million houses that were severely damaged and hundreds of roads and bridges have collapsed loops. In Concepcion, a town of 670,000 people 70 miles (115 km) south-west of the epicenter of the quake, hundreds of people spent the night outside in tents and makeshift shelters. Old houses in the town of adobe seem borne the brunt of the damage, but a 15-storey apartments are also collapsed, probably killing or trapping many people inside. The city was mostly covered in darkness, with only the light from bonfires and police cars casual. Crushed cars, downed power lines and broken glass littered the streets. Mauri Arancibia, 23, said she was relieved to learn from his aunt escaped unhurt after his adobe house collapsed on her. But she said she was shaken by the scenes of destruction in Concepcion. "I'm really worried, I do not know what to do," she said.
