Santiago: Chile's government on Friday lowered the official death toll from the massive February 27 earthquake to 452 in the latest development in the controversial casualty count from the disaster.
Officials said that in addition to the dead, another 96 people were missing or unaccounted for.
The death toll reported by officials had been as high as 802, but authorities have revised that downward. A week after the quake, officials had said 497 bodies had been identified, but the latest figures were showed fewer casualties.
"Twenty days after the earthquake, it is still difficult to measure its impact," Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said in announcing the new figures.
Hinzpeter also said the number left homeless was now estimated to be 800,000, down from earlier reports of around two million. The number of homes destroyed, he said is believed to be 200,000, or less than the half-million figure earlier reported.
The figures were the first from the new government of President Sebastian Pinera, who was sworn in March 11.
The Chilean government has formed a panel to determine the number of people killed in the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in an effort to sort out contradictory toll figures released by different government offices over the past two weeks.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 09:18