Chile situation 'quite precarious'

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 1 (UPI) -- The Chilean government, after saying it would not require outside aid to deal with an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, said Monday it would request assistance.

The United Nations said Chile's request included generators, water filtration equipment, field hospitals and expert guidance in assessing the damage from Saturday's quake, which has killed more than 700 people and left an estimated 2 million homeless, The New York Times reported.

"Everything is now moving," Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. "We are looking immediately to match the needs."

As rescue operations proceeded Monday, three major aftershocks were recorded, thousands of people went without food, water, electricity and other utilities, and more looting was reported CNN said.

"The situation there is quite precarious," U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons said, describing "major, major devastation" resulting from the quake.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the death toll of 708 was likely to rise and ordered soldiers into the most devastated areas to provide security and help distribute aid, the Times reported.

The earthquake was "an emergency unparalleled in the history of Chile," Bachelet said.

Bachelet said the government had struck an agreement with grocery store chains to give away food to needy residents. Her office also called on residents not to hoard staples.

Rescue workers used power tools and their bare hands to remove rubble to reach people who were trapped.

"It's very slow, dangerous work because on top of it all it's still shaking there," said Victoria Viteri, a spokeswoman with Chile's national emergency office in Santiago.

The first of the three aftershocks had a magnitude of 4.8, striking south of Valparaiso, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Within the next 90 minutes, two more shocks, registering 4.9 and 5.3, hit the Maule region south of Santiago, the Times said.

Bachelet, during a news conference Sunday, called on power companies to work quickly so service could be restored.

"We need energy first," she said, noting that cell phone communications, medical care and water distribution depended on it.

The president said the majority of the known dead were in the Maule wine region and Bio-Bio, the Times reported. The military will handle emergency operations in those areas for the next month, Bachelet said. A limited curfew was imposed.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would go ahead with a visit to Chile that was planned as part of her mission this week to Latin America. Clinton is scheduled to meet with Bachelet, who leaves office this month, and President-elect Sebastian Pinera.