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Roundup: Six years after deadly quake, Chile nears completion of reconstruction

Xinhua, February 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Six years after the devastating earthquake which shook Chile on Feb. 27, 2010 and which claimed over 500 lives, the Chilean government is close to completion of reconstruction of infrastructure essential for restoring public life.

The government announced earlier this week that the final stage of reconstruction, set to be finished in 2018, will involve an investment of about 224 million U.S. dollars in the country's southern and central regions.

"In total, 91.7 percent of the budget assigned for rebuilding work has been spent. The final 8.3 percent will be used over the 2016-2017 period," read a press release from the Ministry of Public Works this week.

President Michelle Bachelet is to embark on a trip around all six earthquake-affected regions, including the capital of Santiago. She will also meet with affected families who have still not received new housing, and inspect those already rehoused.

The region of Biobio, with the capital city of Concepcion, was one of the worst-hit. While it was not hit by the tsunami, structural damage was serious there.

Local authorities expressed satisfaction with the reconstruction, with only the repairing of the Bicentenario bridge yet to be completed.

Alvaro Ortiz, mayor of Concepcion, said, "The reconstruction is practically finished."

Luisa Villegas, who lost her home in the village of Santa Clara de Talcahuano, said she received "a nice house after two years."

The municipality of Constitucion lies in the region of Maule, which took the brunt of the tsunami. Over 250 houses were given for free to those who had lost theirs in the earthquake.

However, Carlos Valenzuela, mayor of Constitucion, criticized the slow progress of the rebuilding plan for the area.

New evacuation routes are planned in the event of new earthquakes and tsunamis, but Valenzuela said only 40 percent has been completed.

Besides, according to Patricia Leon, Maule's healthcare service director, damaged hospitals have still not been fully rebuilt. Endi