Airline caught out in anonymous ash-grounded aircraft response.

Dairy giant Fonterra has today confirmed all 1800 of its Chilean staff are safe following the devastating earthquake there more than a week ago.

Following the earthquake and resulting Pacific tsunami, a number of staff were unaccounted for during the days that followed.

Fonterra Latin America commercial director Kevin Murray said the company’s efforts would now turn to supporting staff who lost homes and need to be relocated.

Fonterra is still unable to contact 41 of its staff in Chile, following Saturday’s devastating earthquake.

The dairy co-operative, which employs about 1800 people in Chile though its subsidiary Soprole, said the 41 staff were all in the area of Concepcion, the city which suffered the worst damage from the massive earthquake.

Economic losses from the devastating earthquake that struck central Chile at the weekend could top $US30 billion, or 15% of total output, early estimates say.

The official death toll has passed 700, with most deaths coming from people crushed in collapsed buildings.

The earthquake was the fifth largest in the history of recorded disasters, with a strength of 8.8, and was centred near Chile’s second largest city, Concepcion.

Chile’s president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, has warned that damage from the powerful earthquake is worse than initially thought.

New Zealand oil explorer Greymouth Petroleum and other foreign firms that won bids to explore for crude oil and gas in the southernmost regions of Chile will begin drilling in August, says Mining Minister Santiago Gonzalez.

Greymouth and the other explorers -- Apache Canada, Panamerican Energy and Canadian Methanex Corp -- have signed special operating contracts, known as CEOPs, with the Chilean government, CNNMoney reported.

The CEOPs will have a maximum 35-year term, including a seven-to 10-year exploration phase.