Chile quake affects two million, says Bachelet

wo million people have been affected by the massive earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday, President Michelle Bachelet has said.In a TV address, she said the forces of nature were testing the nation.
So far at least 300 people have been confirmed killed in the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Saturday.
The 8.8 quake - one of the biggest ever - triggered a tsunami that has been sweeping across the Pacific, although waves were not as high as predicted.
"The forces of nature have badly affected our country," Ms Bachelet said.
"And once again they've put to the test our ability to deal with adversity and get back on our feet. And we are examining every way to restore all the basic services in the country. But there's still a lot to do.
Ms Bachelet added that she had declared a state of catastrophe in six regions.
Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes, being situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the Pacific and South American plates meet.

Detailed map of quake Tsunami spreads through Pacific

The earthquake struck at 0634 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago at a depth of about 35km. It is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.
Widespread damage to roads and buildings has been reported in many areas, including the capital where a chemical plant caught fire.
Electricity, water and phone lines have been cut.
At least 85 people died in the region of Maule alone, journalists there reported.
Many deaths were also reported in the regions of Santiago, O'Higgins, Biobio, Araucania and Valparaiso.
TV pictures showed a major bridge at Concepcion had collapsed into the Biobio river.
Rescue teams are struggling to reach Concepcion because of damage to infrastructure, national media reported.
In Santiago, where at least 13 people were killed, several buildings collapsed - including a car park.
A fire at a chemical plant in the outskirts of the capital forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.

Man escapes burning home; girlfriend, 2 kids die

INDIANAPOLIS – A man trying to find a way out his burning home got trapped in its bathroom Saturday and could only listen in horror to the screams of two of his children, who died in the fire along with his girlfriend, friends and authorities said. The man escaped by breaking a window and jumping out.
Daniel Fox, 37, told fire investigators he ran into the first-floor bathroom of the two-story rental house, looking for a way out for himself and the three others after the blaze broke out around 6 a.m. But the door, which had no doorknob, closed behind him and he couldn't open it.
Fox's children apparently were overcome by smoke as they pounded on the door, yelling for their father during the chaos of the fire, which Fox escaped by smashing out a small bathroom window and jumping out, said Capt. Rita Reith of the Indianapolis Fire Department.
Family friend David Wethington said Fox, bleeding from cuts from the broken glass, tried to re-enter the burning home on Indianapolis' east side but was driven back by dense smoke and flames shooting from its windows.
He said Fox is anguished that he couldn't save his children and girlfriend.
"They were screaming, saying, "Help, help, help!" Wethington said. "He heard them hollering and he tried to get in there. He's dying inside because he couldn't get to them in time. It's killing him that he couldn't save his own kids."
Fox's girlfriend, Cheryl Strong, 32, and his 16-year-old son, Michael Fox, died at the scene, while his 8-year-old daughter, Kelsey Fox, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Wethington said Fox's children lived with Fox's mother and usually visited their father on weekends. Fox also has a teenager daughter, who did not make the trip this weekend.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Reith said Fox told investigators he believes an electric space heater started the blaze.
In the fire's aftermath, passers-by stopped to look at the gutted home, which was surrounded by scorched shingles, pieces of wood and children's books, the heavy snowfall around the home blackened with soot and firefighters' footprints.
A large plush Scooby-Doo doll wearing a wizard's cape sat on the deck that Fox jumped onto from the bathroom window, partially covered with fire debris.
FIRE CONTROL TECHNICIAN 2, BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL, NAVY TRAINING COURSE, NAVPER 10174-A,