MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Relatives of quake victims suing Chile for absence of tsunami warning

Commander Mariano Rojas, head of SHOA was sacked for failing to provide clear warning prior to killer tsunami

Relatives of two sisters who died in the Feb. 27 tsunami are suing Chilean government agencies they claim are responsible for the absence of an adequate tsunami warning.

Nancy and Eliana Lema Morales were staying in the coastal town of Dichato when the earthquake struck. Worried that a tsunami might follow, they drove with their families into the hills. There, their families say, they tuned into an Argentine radio station where a report citing Chile’s National Emergency Service (ONEMI) said there was no risk of tsunami.

But as they returned to the lowlands, a huge wave hit them. Eliana died trapped inside the car, her sister’s body was found some 200 meters away. And they weren’t the only ones who died because they heard no tsunami was coming.

Morgado is asking the Public Prosecutor Office to investigate whether ONEMI or the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) are responsible for these errors, possibly to charge them with negligent homicide.

Among the witnesses will be Eliana´s husband, Hugo Enrique Fuentealba, her son, Rodrigo Andrés Fuentealba Lema, and Nancy´s partner, Jaime Esteban Vergara. Morgado said other victims have contacted him, but he has not take up their cases yet.

“In my opinion, there are going to be many more lawsuits,” Concepcion-based lawyer Jorge Becar also told the Santiago Times. “A lot of people died because the alert was not issued. Now, it needs to be determined whether there actually was negligence or not,” he added.

Tuesday, Attorney-General Sabas Chahuan appointed Santiago District Attorney Solange Huerta Reyes to look into the possible criminal liability of those in charge of issuing tsunami alerts.

“We started an investigation to determine whether a criminal offence was committed or not. There is no prejudice, no preconceived notions. Anyone responsible should be charged and anyone not responsible should be cleared,” Chahuan said. “There are hundreds of dead and if this loss of lives was caused by negligence or a crime, citizens have the right to know it.”

The head of SHOA was sacked earlier this month. The Navy said Commander Mariano Rojas had failed to provide a clear warning prior to the killer tsunami. The service, which forms part of the Chilean navy, was widely criticized for its failure to issue a warning for the whole Chilean coast. Port authorities in certain coastal towns issued their own tsunami warnings.

The majority of the February earthquake fatalities likely resulted from the tsunami, according to disaster officials. So far 497 bodies have been identified.

Earlier this week, researchers at the Universidad Catolica released preliminary analysis of satellite images of the tsunami’s devastation. These show that the tsunami affected an area of 19 square kilometres in Concepcion Bay and 58 square kilometres around Constitución.

By Mira Galanova – Santiago Times