Chile’s president Michelle Bachelet has called the 8.8-magnitude earthquake which hit the country at the weekend an unthinkable catastrophe. Officials have confirmed that the death toll is already past the 700 mark and expected to rise. Over half the dead have been found in Chile’s second city Concepcion.

Reports are now emerging that towns close to the epicenter have been destroyed as have coastal towns which bore the brunt of massive waves caused by the tremor. Cars have apparently been flipped over by the waves and boats left high and dry on the land. The coastal town of Pellehue has apparently been all but washed away by the waves. The remainder of the town which has 1000 residents is now mostly under a layer of mud. One woman who managed to escape to higher ground as the quake struck said that it was so violent that it was hard to stand. She also described how as she fled she could hear homes being destroyed as the waves washed them away.

The full extent of the catastrophe is still hard to comprehend with many roads being destroyed or buried making communication throughout the country difficult. Many phone lines as well as power lines are out of action. The police are already trying to keep control and there have been reports of looting. One woman told a news crew as looters made off with goods from a shop that the people had to eat something. Tear gas and a water canon have already been used by police to disperse looters at one supermarket.