Scots couple fled to the hills to escape the threat of a tsunami

THE Scottish couple who survived the devastating earthquake in Chile fled to higher ground to escape the threat of a tidal wave.

Kirsty Duff, 24, from Stonehaven, and her boyfriend, Dave Sandercock, 24, from Edinburgh, a former rugby captain at George Heriot's School, managed to make contact with their anxious families on Monday night – three days after they had been reported missing when the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck, killing more than 700 people.

The couple, who are both graduates of Stirling University, had been on a surfing holiday in the coastal resort of Pichilemu, an internationally renowned surfers' paradise, when the quake hit Chile on Saturday.

Pichilemu is only 70 miles from Chile's second city, Concepcion, which was close to the epicentre of the massive tremor and was left badly damaged.

Because of severe communication problems in the Pichilemu area, Ms Duff and Mr Sandercock were only able to make contact with their families after travelling by bus to the capital, Santiago.

Speaking yesterday at the Duff family home in Riverside Drive, Stonehaven, Kirsty's sister Fay said: "When I spoke to Kirsty she said a wave came and they were all told to run up this hill.

"I'm not sure what they did for three days after that. She said they had to borrow money to get on the bus to Santiago."

Ms Duff's brother Murray said: "We spoke to Kirsty and Dave last night and they are safe and sound in Santiago. We are all really delighted.

"She's fine. It's just great to have her safe, and we would like to thank everyone for their support and just say our hearts go out to all the other families in Chile that had to go through what we did and maybe didn't get good news."

He added the couple appeared to be in no rush to return home, despite their ordeal.

Mr Sandercock's family in Edinburgh were said to have left for holiday shortly after receiving the news that he had been found.

Phil Nurse, a former Heriot's rugby team-mate of Mr Sandercock, described his friend as a "bit of a legend" and someone who was really into sport and remembered by everyone at the Edinburgh school.

Ms Duff and Mr Sandercock have been travelling in South America for several months, and the keen surfers arrived in Chile three weeks ago.

Another British couple, feared missing after the earthquake, have also been reported safe and well in Santiago. Andr Lanyon and Laura Hapgood, both 29 from Guernsey, arrived at Pichilemu the day before the earthquake.

Yesterday, as British aid workers arrived to join the massive international relief effort, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen had sent a message of condolence to President Michelle Bachelet.

Meanwhile, scenes of looters clashing with police and torching buildings have undermined Chile's hard-earned image as a beacon of order and stability in Latin America.

As looting and robberies spread in Concepcion, it became clear that slow progress in getting aid to the city and inadequate security had led to a breakdown of order, bringing out the worst in some Chileans.

The second city was locked down under curfew early yesterday, a day after looters raided more shops and set fire to at least one supermarket and a department store, despite the arrival of thousands of soldiers.

Jeremy Loveless, the deputy humanitarian director of Oxfam, said: "Access to the affected area is often difficult during the first 24 hours after an earthquake, and it is deeply frustrating that it can take some time to get our staff to where they need to be."

He added: "Until our team has been able to reach the area, we are unclear how we will best be able to assist."