Pinera sends troops, aid to quake-hit area

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 11 (UPI) -- New Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said troops and aid were headed for the country's central coast rocked Thursday by an earthquake and aftershocks.

Pinera, who was inaugurated Thursday, said he would visit the hard-hit areas as well, pledging to "deploy all of the troops that may be necessary starting (Thursday) evening to guarantee calm and public order," The New York Times reported.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and two aftershocks registering magnitudes of 6 and 6.9, rumbled Thursday near Libertador O'Higgins, Chile, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

"This government will not hesitate one instant, nor wait one second to act," he said. "But at the same time, we call on everyone to remain calm," he said.

His predecessor, former President Michelle Bachelet, was criticized for her government's response to a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake Feb. 27. Carmen Fernandez, head of Chile's emergency management agency, resigned Wednesday after being criticized for the way the agency reacted to the massive earthquake.

An emergency official in Rancagua, a city to the east of the epicenter of Thursday's temblors, said a highway overpass had collapsed.

Chile's navy issued a tsunami alert following the aftershocks, and coastal area residents evacuated to higher grounds. In the February earthquake, a lack of coordination between the emergency agency and the Chilean navy led to a failure to warn of the risk of tsunami after the earthquake struck.

In the capital of Santiago, 95 miles north of Thursday's epicenters, windows rattled, buildings trembled and cellphone service failed, the Times said.

In Valparaiso, about 90 miles from the quakes, dignitaries attending Pinera's inauguration watched a ceiling move, news reports said, but Pinera worked the crowd before taking the oath of office. The building was evacuated after the inauguration.

Nearly 500 people are confirmed dead, officials said. Another 2 million people were injured or displaced by the February earthquake.