Chile says quake toll is 452

SANTIAGO - Chile updated the official death toll to 452 victims from the Feb 27 quake that struck near the country’s second-largest city, Concepcion.

On Thursday, the government had released an initial death toll of 279, revising the counting method that had resulted in a previous figure of 803 fatalities.

Deputy Interior Minister Patricio Rosende explained that the government now insists on including only the victims that have been fully identified.

“Those who have died were people, not numbers, and until we are completely certain of the identities of the victims of this catastrophe, we will restrict the information to those whom we have been able to identify,” Rosende said.

The official list includes complete names and addresses, in order to dispel any doubts and avoid confusion with people still missing whose fate is not yet known, he said.

The final death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are found and victims identified.