In the city of Constitucion, more than 60 bodies were found and placed in a makeshift morgue inside the gym of a local school, a federal police officer told CNN.
"The catastrophe is enormous," Bachelet said at a news conference Sunday, adding that her declared "state of catastrophe" would continue as the Chilean air force flies basic supplies to the hardest-hit regions of Maule and Biobio. She called the quake an "unthinkable disaster."
Brachelet also authorized the army to manage security in the
heavily damaged city of Concepcion, where looters descended on
supermarkets and electronic stores and police fought them with tear
gas and water cannons, according to published reports.
Concepcion Mayor Jacqueline van Rysselberghe condemned the looting
as "unjustifiable" on a Chilean radio station, but argued that the
government was too slow in sending food and water. One man looting
at a supermarket told Reuters he was simply trying to get food.
"People have gone days without eating," Orlando Salazar said. "The
only option is to come here and get stuff for ourselves."
Looters reportedly cleared the contents of a shopping mall in San
Pedro, even robbing ATM machines and siphoning gas from underground
tanks, according to The Associated Press.
"It was a mob. They looted everything," said police Sgt. Rene
Gutierrez, 46, who had his men guarding the now-empty mall. "Now
we're only here to protect the building -- what's left of the
building."
Curfews were imposed on two struggling areas Sunday, including
Concepcion, and Bachelet said grocery store items would be given
away for free, under military supervision.
As officials attempt to quell the chaos, rescue workers continue to
search for signs of life.
- Latest on Chile Earthquake
- One of Biggest on Record
- 2 Million Displaced
- Mother Nature Out of Control?
- Why Damage Not as Bad as Haiti
- Tsunami Reaches Japan
- Hawaii 'Dodged a Bullet'
- Waiting for the Tsunami
About 60 people remain trapped in a collapsed 14-story apartment building in Concepcion, where authorities believe another 100 have died in the quake.
Rescue workers labored through the night in their search for survivors in the wreckage of the newly-constructed Rio Alta building, as Mayor van Rysselberghe stressed on national television that "time is of the essence to save the people" who are believed to be trapped.
"It fell at the moment the earthquake began," 4th Lt. Juan Schulmeyer of Concepcion's 7th Firefighter Company, told Reuters of the apartment building. After 24 hours, 23 people were pulled out alive and six bodies were recovered, according to published reports.
After the building shook and began to topple, Alberto Rozas said he and his 7-year-old daughter clung to each other as they fell 13 floors from their apartment, not knowing which way was up.
"The earthquake and the fall were one single, horrible thing," Rozas told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I held onto her and she never let me go."
Another resident, Fernando Abarzua, emerged with no major injuries.
"I was on the eighth floor and all of a sudden I was down here," he told the London Times from the ground floor.
Firefighters reportedly used thermal detectors to search for signs of life in the collapsed building, even as more than 60 aftershocks, including one measured at 6.1-magnitude Sunday, caused the ground to shake in Concepcion.
"We spent the whole night working, smashing through walls to find survivors," Commander Marcelo Plaza told the Times. "The biggest problem is fuel, we need fuel for our machinery and water for our people."
Bachelet said the military would help deliver basic necessities to struggling areas. She also urged people to limit their gas and electric use, as the nation's power outages continue hampering communications as well as rescue and aid work.
After initially declining offers for international aid, including a pledge of support from U.S. President Barack Obama, Bachelet said Sunday she would accept some of the offers.
"This will take a great effort from all sectors, public and private," she said, adding that Chile is now in dire need of aid workers, field hospitals, temporary bridges, and damage assessment experts.
Across Concepcion and its outskirts, survivors took stock of what remains in the rubble. The National Office of Emergency reported 2 million people have been displaced by the earthquake, with more than a million homes damaged or destroyed. Rescue workers and citizens alike relied on sledgehammers and shovels to dig through the wreckage, searching not only for loved ones, but for food and supplies.
"I lost my bed," one Chilean woman told ABC News. "I lost everything. All I have is the clothes on my back."