Deputy Interior Minister Patricio Rosende said the casualty count in Maule, originally reported at 587, included more than 200 people who are missing but not confirmed dead. Therefore, the official nationwide death toll is lower than the 802 figure given by emergency authorities.

In an attempt to reduce confusion, Rosende read aloud the names of 279 Chileans who had been killed and identified by the evening of March 4. He said he would update that official number regularly. This new tally does not account for hundreds of unidentified victims.

With disasters of this magnitude, "the number of dead change daily," Rosende said. "It takes months sometimes to compile the information because one of the biggest problems in the affected areas is the lack of precision and uncertainty at the scene."

Rosende also announced that President Michelle Bachelet has called for three days of national mourning, beginning March 7.

He called Chileans to fly the country's flag outside their homes as a sign of solidarity for the earthquake's victims.

Bachelet toured devastated parts of central and southern Chile on March 4, five days after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake.

Bachelet first visited the battered seaport of Talcahuano, where a quake-induced tsunami roared through many parts of the city.