Chile's military said Monday that its air brigade would continue to transport humanitarian aid to Chile's southern and central regions, which were most heavily hit by the quake.

Food, tents, blankets and other necessities have reached the O'Higgins region, where strong aftershocks have continued in the last days, the army said in a statement.

The curfew also continued in those regions under the control of the army.

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile on Feb. 27, in which 452 had been confirmed dead nationwide and about 2 million people had been left homeless. Broken bridges and damaged or debris-strewn highways made transit difficult in many areas.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2010)