Red Cross Pledges $50,000 to Chile Earthquake Relief

The American Red Cross has pledged an initial $50,000 from the International Response Fund to assist communities impacted by Saturdays’s earthquake in Chile. The Red Cross said in a statement it is ready to  take further action as local responders assess the situation.

To ask for or provide information about US citizens in Chile, contact the US State Department at 1-888-407-4747.

The Chilean Red Cross is on Twitter. @CruzRojainforma . You can translate here: http://bit.ly/9duK6a .

devastating earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, toppling homes, collapsing bridges and plunging trucks into the fractured earth. A tsunami set off by the magnitude-8.8 quake threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean — roughly a quarter of the globe.

Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma said the most powerful quake to hit the country in a half-century killed at least 82 people, but the death toll was rising quickly. READ MORE