Without any hint of what would happen on Feb. 26, we went from the southern city of Puerto Montt with the idea of arriving in Santiago de Chile on Saturday at about 10 p.m. The trip was calm and normal until, at about 3:45 a.m. Saturday, the lights dimmed and the bus driver put on the brakes with a brutally, noisy jerk.
The unexpected halting of the bus on the road near the city of Los Angeles—310 miles from the capital of Chile, Santiago—was enough to fuel the fury of one passenger, who rose from her seat to reprimand the driver for his outrageous driving. The driver got off the bus and the passenger followed him, demanding an explanation for his apparent lack of respect for the passengers.
The driver's response surprised us all: "There was an earthquake in Santiago that has affected a wide area of the country. The bridges are damaged and we can't reach our destination."
It is no minor point to note that Friday was just the beginning of the enormous return of holidaymakers to their homes in Santiago; around 200,000 were expected to stream into the city. Passengers got off the bus, joining the now growing congestion of other buses, trucks, cars, and vehicles of all kinds, all with their flocks of hapless riders.
It was a difficult decision to continue or wait, because it was not clear what was happening, since communications were cut. After debating for about 20 minutes, the driver decided to continue toward the capital of Chile, despite the uncertainties, finding a path, avoiding obstacles.
When daylight came about two hours later, we were in the city of Parral, near the epicenter of the earthquake.
In this area, I could hear the officials who had gathered in the square, to assess the situation and coordinate their actions. There I learned that the police station was destroyed, water supplies, electricity, and telephone lines were cut, and communications with the media were not viable. By then it was known that six people had died. The area was isolated. I managed to take photographs with my cell phone, and get a clear look at the disaster.
It was 1:00 p.m., and in trying to leave we found collapsed bridges and had to look for alternatives. It was around that time that the magnitude of the tragedy was appearing before my eyes: fallen electric lamp posts, power lines broken with wires dangling, the old country houses in this isolated rural area, mostly made of adobe brick, were destroyed; parts of the road were cracked and uneven. The railway line was also destroyed or buckled.
Despite what I have described, people I saw on the road were not in a panic.
Departing from Parral, we were still concerned with finding a smooth road. Crossing a bridge required the passengers to get out of the bus and walk. Only half of the route was open, and we had to find alternative ways to get to Santiago.
In the vicinity of Santiago there was a huge bottleneck, and covering 10 miles took 2.5 hours.
In the area of Calera de Tango, the same woman who previously demanded an explanation from the bus driver was now friendly and supportive. She requested a special stop in a non-authorized area, and her wish was granted.
Two friends who were with me originally, but couldn't stay on the same bus, had to wait several hours to start out from Puerto Montt to Santiago. Today they are still on top of their bus, eating crackers and drinking water, worried, and hoping to arrive at their destination to be reunited with their loved ones.
