Chile's press agonise over tragedy

Relatives show their anguish as the Chilean tragedy unfolds

Newspapers in Chile are agonising over the deaths of at least 20 soldiers in a military exercise in the mountains that went tragically wrong.

Front pages are dominated by pictures of anguished relatives, many of whom are still waiting to hear about the fate of their loved ones who were caught in an Andean blizzard.

"Tragedy in Antuco" runs a headline in the top daily El Mercurio, which reports that the army chief blamed senior officers in the eighth military region "for ordering a march which should never have taken place".

"Your pain is my pain," it quotes a Chilean general, Juan Emilio Cheyre, as telling one of the parents whose son is still missing.

This is a tragedy which should pierce the nation's soul Letter in El Mercurio

El Mercurio publishes a number of letters, including one that describes the incident as "a tragedy for the whole country".

The letter points out that many of the dead youths came from poor families and were seeking to improve their lives through a military career. "This is a tragedy which should pierce the nation's soul."

The writer condemns the authorities for "losing sight of their responsibilities towards these families".

A retired general writes to the paper condemning some politicians for seeking to take advantage of the tragedy to condemn the armed forces.

"For many years, they have gone on about human rights, but now show absolute indifference to this tragedy. Their main aim is to criticise the army and the institution of compulsory military service."

'Anguish'

A headline in La Segunda declares that "Anguish has become hysteria" as the fate of many of the soldiers becomes known while the rest remain missing.

It reports that the mother of one of the conscripts, "in an act of desperation, her nerves shot", began to scream: "Assassins! Why did you kill them? Why are they lying to us? Assassins! They took them out at two in the morning in the middle of a blizzard. They says they know nothing, but it isn't true. Liars!"

What hurts most is that the deaths of dozens of youths were easily preventable La Tercera

"Maximum tension in the region", reads a headline in La Hora.

An editorial in La Tercera says the tragedy "will come to occupy a sad space in the history of our nation".

"What hurts most is that the deaths of dozens of youths were easily preventable."

La Tercera believes that "the efforts the armed forces have made over recent years to repair their image and regain public confidence after the years of military repression could be badly compromised".

"It would be tragic if the efforts made by the military to bring the people, especially the poor, closer via the institution of military service were compromised by this tragedy which could have been prevented."

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