Russian doctors help people affected by Chilean earthquake

Russian specialists have helped 41 people affected by the Chilean earthquake since they arrived to the devastated country, a Russian emergencies ministry representative said on Tuesday.

Russian specialists have helped 41 people affected by the Chilean earthquake since they arrived to the devastated country, a Russian emergencies ministry representative said on Tuesday.

"Russian Emergency Situations Ministry doctors have already helped 41 people, including 35 people during the last day," the spokesperson said, adding that doctors had performed 18 surgical operations, 14 of them during the last day.

In addition, the ministry's psychotherapists have helped 38 people.

Two Russian emergencies ministry planes flew to Chile last week carrying personnel, supplies and equipment including a mobile hospital to help the earthquake-stricken country.

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake, the latest in a series of powerful tremors, was registered in western Chile on Tuesday.

Some 150 tremors, about 20 of them powerful, have been registered in Chile since an 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurred to the north of Concepcion on February 27. According to official reports, 497 people died as a result of that tremor, which left some 2 million Chileans homeless and damaged about 1.5 million houses.

Chile's newly-elected President Sebastian Pinera has said it would cost at least $30 billion to rebuild the country after the devastating earthquake.

MOSCOW, March 16 (RIA Novosti)