Rescue crews dug out more than 60 bodies from mudslides that swept down into this northern port after rare torrential rains inundated the desert region.
The government said the death toll from Tuesday's disaster was likely to top 100. Forty-eight people were missing and believed dead, and 20,000 were rendered homeless.President Patricio Aylwin was to fly to this city of 200,000 people Wednesday morning to coordinate rescue and aid operations. Antofagasta is 900 miles north of the capital, Santiago.
Aid for the victims poured into Antofagasta throughout the night Tuesday, carried by air force planes. The air force said in a communique that the operation "will last as long as necessary."
The navy sent four ships with nearly 260,000 gallons of water, which was to be distributed by soldiers in this Pacific port, which is located in the Atacama desert, one of the world's most arid areas.
More than 750 people were treated at local hospitals, which were working under emergency conditions Tuesday as the city remained without running water. Power failures were frequent.
Interior Minister Enrique Krauss, who toured the disaster area, said 64 bodies had been recovered and identified. He said 48 other people were still missing, and "have probably died."
Krauss said the mudslide destroyed or damaged at least 6,000 houses.
Many of the homeless were sheltered at schools and other government buildings, but others chose to spend the night next to their damaged houses to guard whatever was left of their belongings, Krauss said.
In Santiago, Krauss' deputy, Belisario Velasco, said the government declared Antofagasta a disaster zone, allowing officials to allocate emergency funds.
The mudslide swept through a slum area in the hills that surround the city at 1 a.m. Tuesday, after heavy rain fell for two hours.
Officials said the mudslide was swollen by the water of four large water storage tanks that were swept away by the mass of mud.