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British charities were preparing Saturday to send specialists to Chile after an earthquake which left more than 200 people dead, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain stood ready to help.
Oxfam said it would dispatch a five-strong team from Colombia of water engineers, logistics specialists and its humanitarian coordinator for Latin America in response to the massive 8.8-magnitude quake.
The charity has teams operating in Haiti, which is struggling to get back on its feet after an earthquake which devastated the capital Port-au-Prince on January 12.
Jeremy Loveless, Oxfam's Deputy Humanitarian Director, said: "Chile is a developed country with a very capable government and while it is unlikely that this disaster will be as severe as what we saw last month in Haiti, we want to be in place to help as soon as possible."
Save the Children said it was assessing the situation and ShelterBox, which sends emergency tents into disaster zones, said it would send staff to Chile.
Brown said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Chile.
"The people of Chile are in agony today but Britain stands ready to help. We will do whatever we can."
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "shocked and saddened" by the news of the second major earthquake to hit the Americas in as many months following the Haiti quake.
"I send my deepest sympathy to all those affected," he said in a statement, and echoed Brown's pledge of support for the Chilean people.
Miliband said he had no information yet of any British casualties, but he added that the efforts of British embassy staff in Santiago to trace British nationals was being hampered by "significant communications difficulties".
