UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has visited a Chilean city badly damaged by last week’s earthquake and promised aid to help the country recover.

Mr Ban flew into Concepcion aboard a Chilean Air Force plane and was shown a 15-storey building that had collapsed, killing at least nine people.

As the clear-up continues, doctors have warned that debris piled up in towns and cities poses a health hazard.

The official death toll stands at 452 but hundreds are still missing.

“Remember that we are with you… our hearts are with you,” Mr Ban said in a brief statement in Concepcion.