Sandra Roxas, a woman in her 50s, lives with her family members in a makeshift camp in the city.

Roxas told Xinhua that the biggest concern for her family is food and water and her family has no bread to eat.

Nikkel Roxas, a little girl, said: "We need help. We can not afford daily necessities as the prices are soaring."

Only a few supermarkets are still open in Talca and people have to stand in long lines waiting to purchase daily food and water.

Power supply has resumed partly in some areas of south-central Chile. Gas stations along the speedway have resumed services and a large number of vehicles are queuing for refueling.

Meanwhile, a lot of buildings in the city of Concepcion, 115 km away from the epicenter, have collapsed and the downtown has been virtually razed to the ground -- a scene Xinhua reporter saw upon arriving here on Sunday after a ten-hour drive from Santiago.

"All buildings in the city are empty because no one dare spend the night inside," said Zhang Hui, an employee at a local company.

"Though there have been no serious aftershocks in the city since Saturday night, a lot of people abandoned their homes and chose to gather in the city square and other open air areas to spend the night," he said.