[07/March/2010]

Santiago, Chile, March 07 (Saba) - The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has visited the quake damaged city of Concepcion in Chile and promised aid to help the country recover, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA).

He was shown a 15-storey building that collapsed, killing at least nine people.

In a brief statement on Saturday, Ban said: "Your people helped Haiti when it was in need - now is the moment when the international community must help Chile."

After returning to the capital Santiago, Ban said Chile would receive field hospitals, temporary bridges and other international aid. He has pledged $US10 million in immediate help from the UN.

Chile has been hit by regular aftershocks since the magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurred at 3.34am on 27 February; including at least six on Saturday morning, the largest of which measured 5.1. Government officials on Friday revised the death toll, down from about 800 to 452.

However, the BBC reported that hundreds were still missing. Army divers are searching for the bodies of as many as 400 tourists after tsunami surges swept over a resort island.

Saba