Most of the 200,000 residents in the city stayed outdoor fearing aftershocks. They desperately need water, food, shelter and other living necessities.

The Chilean government has announced a series of measures for disaster relief.

Bachelet said food distribution would begin to help the affected people to stand up to the difficulties.

The president said the Maule region and the city of Concepcion are being placed under special rules to speed up the delivery of aid.

She added that Army officers would be coordinating with local officials to guarantee the security and speed up aid distribution.

The president also ordered deployment of 10,000 soldiers and police to the affected areas to guarantee the security and to collaborate on the aid delivery.

Bachelet urged the civil and military authorities, as well as the private sector "to collaborate on the different works that have to be done," because the reconstruction will take time and resources.

Temporary hospitals will be set up in the cities of Concepcion, Talca and Curico, which were the most damaged by the earthquake, she added.

However, in affected areas, massive damage to the infrastructure is hampering rescue efforts.

In Concepcion, 25 people were rescued from a collapsed building, but dozens of others were believed to have been trapped under rubble.

Officials said transportation is slowly back to normal.

The airport in Chilean capital of Santiago has reopened with a total of five international fights due to arrive on Sunday. One metro line in the city is now operating and roads are passable.

Unlike Haiti which was also struck by a huge quake recently, Chile said it can handle the relief efforts for the moment and hasn't asked for any external help.

In Washington, officials said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intends to visit Chile on Tuesday as scheduled despite the killer quake.

An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit southern Chile early Saturday, triggering tsunamis as well as communications and power breakup.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2010)