Chile's defence minister has admitted the navy made a mistake by not immediately issuing a tsunami warning after a massive earthquake hit the country.
Boats thrown inland by tsunami waves in Talcahuano smashed into coastal homes
The death has risen to more than 700 as reports emerge of coastal towns devastated by the tremor and tsunamis that followed.
Francisco Vidal acknowledged that an alarm could have helped coastal villagers flee to higher ground sooner.
"The navy committed an error in not alerting the tsunami," the defence minister said.
He added that a warning was later issued by port captains.
Immediately after Saturday's 8.8-magnitude quake, President Michelle Bachelet played down the threat of a tsunami, saying large waves were expected but no tsunami.
However, several coastal communities were hit by what authorities later recognised were tsunami waves some 30 minutes after the quake.
Desperate residents in Concepcion clear the supermarkets
More than 700 people have died and President Bachelet has warned the figure is likely to rise as emergency teams continue to search the rubble.Many of the dead were in Chile's coastal regions of San Juan Bautista village on Robinson Crusoe Island, the port of Talcahuano and Vichato in the BioBio region.
The surge of water raced across the Pacific, leading officials in 53 nations to post warnings.
But the waves turned out to be relatively small as they moved past Hawaii and on to Australia, Tonga, Japan and Russia.
"We face a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort" for Chile to recover, Chile's president has said.
Some 90 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater have shuddered across the disaster zone, hampering the search for survivors.
The army has been deployed to control looting and help with the distribution of food.
Concepcion's Mayor Jacqueline van Rysselberghe said the situation was getting "out of control" due to lack of basic supplies.
Police had to use a water cannon and tear gas to disperse people who forced open the doors of a local supermarket.
The families of two British couples who were staying in the resort of Pichilemu have reported them missing.
Kirsty Duff from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire and Dave Sandercock from Edinburgh, both 25, arrived in the country three weeks ago, according to reports.
Andre Lanyon from Guernsey and Laura Hapgood, both 29, went to Pichilemu on Friday
The British Foreign Office said embassy officials in Santiago are in touch with local authorities working to locate the whereabouts of British nationals in Chile.
"At present no British national casualties have been reported," it said in a statement.
Sky News
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