Monday, March 1, 2010
Indonesian Citizens in Chile are Safe
Source: TEMPO Interactive
Sutji Decilya | Nur Haryanto | Faisal Assegaf

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: All Indonesian citizens residing in Chile have been reported safe from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck the country on Saturday.

“Around 104 Indonesian nationals are all safe and uninjured,” said Teuku Faizasyah, the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson, contacted by Tempo yesterday. The number was based on the data issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Santiago, Chile, mid-last month.

Earlier, other reports had cited 181 Indonesians resided in the country. Therefore, Faizasyah said, his office will recheck whether there were Indonesians who have not been listed.

The epicenter was located 100 kilometers from Concepcion, which has a population of over 600,000. The coastal city is 317 kilometers southwest of Santiago. Half a century ago, Chile was also struck by a tremor measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale, killing 1,655 people.

Faizasyah said the Indonesian Embassy is still operational. Only the roof of the building is cracked. He asked the families in Indonesia to contact the Citizen Protection Directorate General at the Foreign Affairs Ministry if they want to know their families’ condition in Chile.

Until this news went to print, at least 300 people were killed during the one-and-a-half-minute tremor.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, USA, has withdrawn the tsunami warning which may have hit 53 countries including South America, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Pacific areas.

Chilean President Michele Bachelet has announced that the country is in a state of emergency while calling on the people to stay calm. “With an earthquake this powerful, we cannot ignore the possibility of more deaths and injuries,” she said.

Humanitarian support from various countries and international non-profit organizations has been arriving.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to do his best to help the country earning US$14,529 per capita income.