Published: Thursday, 4th March, 2010 7:55am

Chile quake family's relief

by Alex Lawrie

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THE family of a county couple caught up in the horror Chile earthquake have spoken of their relief after receiving word they were safe.

Sandy and Beth Boggon, of Walden Drive, Gifford, were left frantic with worry after hearing the news of the massive earthquake which struck Chile last week.

The elderly couple's daughter, also Beth, and her husband John Scott, also originally from Gifford, had been in the Chilean capital of Santiago for just a couple of weeks when they were caught up in the mayhem following the massive 8.8 magnitude quake last week.

The couple's two daughters, Fiona, 23, and Heather, 20, were also in the Chilean capital at the time and have also survived the disaster which has so far claimed more than 700 lives and left thousands more in need of food, water and shelter.

Back in their Gifford home, Mrs Scott's parents, Sandy and Beth, were frantically waiting on news from the South American country.

The elderly couple, who are both in their 80s, received a message from one of their granddaughter's friends earlier this week telling them the family were all safe and well.

Mrs Boggon, 83, said: "We are both so relieved that our family are safe and well following the terrible earthquake. We have been trying their mobile phones for days now but still cannot get through. But, a friend of my grand-daughter Fiona called from London to say he had just had a text message telling him everyone had survived. I can't tell you how emotional we both were.

"I was frantic with worry when I heard the news breaking because they had only been out there a couple of weeks when it happened. It's a huge relief for the whole family."

Mr and Mrs Scott, who were staying on the 35th floor of their hotel when the quake struck, first went out to Chile in 1999 after civil engineer John landed a job as the director of construction for a renewable energy company. The couple's two daughters have been in Chile studying at the Santiago University as part of a year-long exchange.

All four members of the family were reunited soon after the quake, and they immediately started trying to contact relatives in Scotland to let them know they were safe.