Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said on Sunday the death toll of the magnitude-8.8 earthquake reached 708 and was likely to increase as rescue went on.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said on February 28, 2010, the death toll of the magnitude-8.8 earthquake reached 708 and was likely to increase as rescue went on. [Chinanews.com.cn]

At a news conference, the president said the country was facing "a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude" and would need enormous efforts to recover.

Food distribution would begin to help the affected people to stand up to the difficulties, the president said.

Bachelet said the largest death toll of 541 people was in the region Maule, 64 in Bio Bio, and other 103 deaths were from other affected areas.

In the region of Bio Bio, there have been lootings, mainly of food and baby's articles, so Bachelet announced that the Army would take charge of the "leadership of the cities" in both regions.

Bachelet added that the Army officer would be coordinated with the governors of the region to guarantee the security and speed up aid distribution.

Also 10,000 troops of the Armed Forces and of the Chilean Police will be deployed in the affected areas to guarantee the security and to collaborate on the aid delivery.

Chile was facing "a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude" and would need enormous efforts to recover, Bachelet said.

Bachelet urged the civil and military authorities, as well as the private sector "to collaborate on the different works that have to be done," because the reconstruction will take time and resources.

Bachelet also announced the establishment of temporary hospitals in the cities of Concepcion, Talca and Curico, which were the most damaged by the earthquake.

More than 350 people died in Chile's coastal town of Constitution after the megaquake and an ensuing tsunami, said the country's Chile's National Television.

The TV station reported later that 400 people disappeared on Sunday morning after the huge waves of Orrego island, located at the outfall of the Maule river, hit Constitution.

Before that, Chile's emergency officials had said that the death toll from Saturday's megaquake had rose to more than 400 people across the country.

An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit southern Chile early Saturday, triggering tsunamis as well as communications and power breakup.