CHILE yesterday launched the first-ever government project to determine the fate of more than 1,000 people who disappeared during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who grabbed power in a coup 50 years ago.

Until now, the burden of searching for the 1,162 people who remain unaccounted for decades after the arrival of democracy, has been borne mainly by bereaved loved ones – with information on the fate of only 307 – out of an original 1,469 – found to date.