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US Aircraft to Deliver Medical Support to Chile

   VOA News 09 March 2010
   A  doctor  examines  a  boy  on  a provisional house in Constitución,
   Chile, 9 Mar 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   A  doctor  examines  a  boy  on  a provisional house in Constitución,
   Chile, 9 Mar 2010

   U.S.  military aircraft carrying medical supplies and personnel are to
   arrive in Chile Tuesday to help victims of the massive earthquake that
   struck February 27.
   In  a  statement  Tuesday,  the  U.S. Southern Command said three C-17
   Globemaster  aircraft were en route to Chile with a team of 84 airmen,
   including 63 medical personnel.
   The  team  is  designed  to  provide  a  variety  of  medical services
   including surgery, radiology, pharmaceutical, dentistry and laboratory
   work.   The statement said the Air Force personnel will work alongside
   Chilean civilian medical personnel.
   The  deployment  is  sponsored  by  the  U.S. Agency for International
   Development (USAID).
   A  new poll released Tuesday shows Chile's outgoing President Michelle
   Bachelet's  popularity  remains  high  despite  some  criticism of her
   government's  response to the earthquake.  The survey shows 84 percent
   approve of her performance in office.
   Ms.  Bachelet  leaves  office Thursday, when President-elect Sebastian
   Pinera takes over.
   Tuesday  is  the final day of a three-day national mourning period for
   the hundreds of people killed in the quake.  National flags are flying
   at half-staff across Chile in honor of the victims.
   In  New York Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
   the  destruction  in  Chile  is  beyond description. Mr. Ban said that
   although  grief  is  widespread,  there  is a sense of unity among the
   people that he called "heartening."
   Mr.  Ban was in Chile last week to assess the damage.  He took part in
   a  telethon  in  Santiago  to  raise money for victims and visited the
   badly  hit  city  of  Concepcion,  which  was  closest  to the quake's
   epicenter.
   Mr.  Ban  is  expected  to  brief  the  U.N. General Assembly on Chile
   Wednesday.  He has pledged up to $10 million to Chile from a U.N. fund
   for quake relief.
   The  government  in  Santiago has said reconstruction could cost about
   $30 billion.
   Government  officials are struggling to come up with an accurate death
   toll.  They  already have lowered the official number of people killed
   from  more  than 800 to 452.  Authorities say they will add victims to
   the count only after their remains have been positively identified.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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