Chilean officials have deployed thousands of extra troops to stop chaos and lawlessness in areas already traumatized by the country's devastating earthquake. President Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday doubled the number of troops to 14,000 in the wake of widespread looting in some of the worst-hit areas in central and southern Chile.
Speaking at a news conference the president said that mayhem would not be allowed and vowed to "apply the full force of the law," to stop chaos.
Bachelet also urged the public to organize mechanisms for self defense.
The president's comments came after another restless night in Chile's second biggest city, Concepcion, where desperate residents openly ransacked stores in anger over slow government actions.
Officials however blame criminals and thugs for involvement in the looting sprees and have extended a curfew in the city and neighboring regions from 6 p.m. Tuesday until noon Wednesday.
Around two million people, or one-eighth of the country's total population, have been affected by Saturday's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake.
More than 120 aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5 on the Richter scale have also rattled the country.
The government has put the death toll from the quake at 795, but officials say the tally will likely increase in coming days as search-and-rescue crews dig into collapsed buildings and discover more bodies.
Fears also persist that hundreds more might have been dragged into the Pacific Ocean by tsunami waves that reached 30 to 40 feet high.
According to Bachelet, Chile has received offers of international aid and will accept the help that it needs.
According to the US Geological Survey, Chile's Saturday earthquake is the fifth-strongest tremor since 1900. Another 8.8 quake struck off the coast of Ecuador in 1906.
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