SANTIAGO, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Supreme Court of Justice on Friday ordered the government to indemnify relatives of victims who died in a post-earthquake tsunami after officials failed to warn of the dangers.
The state must pay the equivalent of some 3 million U.S. dollars to 74 relatives of 21 victims killed in the aftermath of a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake that struck in the predawn hours of Feb. 27, 2010, according to the court.
The victims were residents of coastal towns San Antonio, Constitucion, Talcahuano and Tome, and the island of Juan Fernandez.
Residents had heeded the recommendation of authorities who had dismissed the threat of a tsunami, and stayed put.
The devastating earthquake and its aftermath killed more than 500 people.
The court's latest ruling follows an appeal by government lawyers, who argued against the indemnity.
But the court established that the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) and the Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) failed in their responsibility to alert residents.
