The new Chilean president has been sworn in after a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake has rocked the centre of the country central Chile
Sebastian Pinera's, swearing in ceremony was taking place in the city of Valparaiso, when three strong aftershocks hit the city on Thursday.
Visiting dignitaries looked nervously at the ceiling but the inauguration went forward as normal. In the capital of Santiago some buildings were briefly evacuated.
He told his people that despite the earthquake that crippled the country 12 days ago, they will rebuild and his government will help them do so.
Chile's first elected right-wing president in 52 years won office promising to improve the economy. Now, he says he'll be the "reconstruction president.''
His advice to citizens: "Let's dry our tears and put our hands to work."
But relief efforts stalled Thursday as more than 10 earthquakes shook Chile in a span of six hours.
The strongest, at 6.9, nearly matched the 7.0-magnitude quake that devastated Haiti on January 12.
The navy issued a tsunami alert along the coast. Sirens sounded in Constitucion, one of the strongest-hit cities in the February 27 quake and police ordered people away from beaches.
The freshly inaugurated president said there was "significant damage" in Rancagua, a city almost 100 km south of the capital.
There were no initial reports of fatalities. Pinera said he expected to have more complete reports later in the day.
'State of catastrophe'
Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Vina Del Mar, where the president is attending a presidential luncheon, said Pinera declared a state of catastrophe in what is called the zona libertador, because of the damage caused in Rancagua.
"He was ordering troops there to ensure there would be no looting, that there would be security there, no repetition of the sort of scenes that we saw in the city of Concepcion following the original earthquake," Newman said.
The handover of power from popular center-leftist Michelle Bachelet was celebrated with an austere midday ceremony, toned down out of respect for those still mourning the dead.
Officials have identified 497 dead from the February 27 quake and tsunami, after revising down an earlier death toll of 802, which mistakenly included lists of the missing.
Pinera's election marks a shift to the right in Latin America where a generation of center-left and socialist leaders are in power.
Fellow conservative presidents Alan Garcia of Peru and Alvaro Uribe of Colombia attended the inauguration along with leftist leaders such as Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Bolivia's Evo Morales.
Sebastian Pinera's, swearing in ceremony was taking place in the city of Valparaiso, when three strong aftershocks hit the city on Thursday.
Visiting dignitaries looked nervously at the ceiling but the inauguration went forward as normal. In the capital of Santiago some buildings were briefly evacuated.
He told his people that despite the earthquake that crippled the country 12 days ago, they will rebuild and his government will help them do so.
Chile's first elected right-wing president in 52 years won office promising to improve the economy. Now, he says he'll be the "reconstruction president.''
His advice to citizens: "Let's dry our tears and put our hands to work."
But relief efforts stalled Thursday as more than 10 earthquakes shook Chile in a span of six hours.
The strongest, at 6.9, nearly matched the 7.0-magnitude quake that devastated Haiti on January 12.
The navy issued a tsunami alert along the coast. Sirens sounded in Constitucion, one of the strongest-hit cities in the February 27 quake and police ordered people away from beaches.
The freshly inaugurated president said there was "significant damage" in Rancagua, a city almost 100 km south of the capital.
There were no initial reports of fatalities. Pinera said he expected to have more complete reports later in the day.
'State of catastrophe'
Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Vina Del Mar, where the president is attending a presidential luncheon, said Pinera declared a state of catastrophe in what is called the zona libertador, because of the damage caused in Rancagua.
"He was ordering troops there to ensure there would be no looting, that there would be security there, no repetition of the sort of scenes that we saw in the city of Concepcion following the original earthquake," Newman said.
The handover of power from popular center-leftist Michelle Bachelet was celebrated with an austere midday ceremony, toned down out of respect for those still mourning the dead.
Officials have identified 497 dead from the February 27 quake and tsunami, after revising down an earlier death toll of 802, which mistakenly included lists of the missing.
Pinera's election marks a shift to the right in Latin America where a generation of center-left and socialist leaders are in power.
Fellow conservative presidents Alan Garcia of Peru and Alvaro Uribe of Colombia attended the inauguration along with leftist leaders such as Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Bolivia's Evo Morales.
