More tsunami victim relatives sue
2010-03-19 10:48
Santiago - The families of 20 people killed in a tsunami that followed Chile's massive February 27 quake are suing state officials they say failed to warn them of the dangers they faced.
"Up to now, I have had contact with the families of at least 20 victims from various parts of the country devastated by the tsunami. With them we will study the type of legal actions that can be taken," Alfredo Morgado, a lawyer who has taken on the case, said on Thursday.
The first plaintiffs to pursue legal action are two men who were vacationing with their wives in the port town of Dichato when the massive 8.8-magnitude quake struck.
Shortly after they began fleeing to higher ground, they heard a radio message issued by the country's emergency management agency Onemi and declarations made by then-president Michelle Bachelet saying there was no tsunami threat.
The four returned to their home, but a huge wave smashed into the town shortly afterwards, killing the two women.
Alert failure to be probed
"These people heard on the radio (messages) from top authorities saying there was no risk of a tsunami," Morgado said.
"They said clearly and categorically to the people that they could return to their homes, that there was no risk of a tsunami," he added.
"People believed in the authorities. They believed them and they returned."
Emilio Carreno, who is working with Morgado on the lawsuits, said they would be directed against individuals rather than the state as a whole and will allege negligent homicide.
The failure to properly alert residents to the possibility of a tsunami has triggered a political firestorm in Chile, prompting Bachelet to fire the head of the Navy Oceanography Service less than a week after the quake.
Onemi chief Carmen Fernandez resigned on March 10 and the Chilean justice system announced this week it would investigate the alert system failures and recommend charges if appropriate.
- SAPA