People walk past a damaged house in Caleta Tumbes on Saturday. (Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press)Flags in Chile were flying at half-mast Sunday as the country began three days of national mourning, remembering the hundreds killed in last weekend's earthquake.

As religious services were held across the country, the Chilean Catholic Church called on parishioners to put aside their anger at government officials, under fire for acting too slowly after disaster struck.

A poll published Sunday suggests that most Chileans are unhappy with their government's response to the powerful Feb. 27 earthquake and squarely blame President Michelle Bachelet for shortcomings.

The poll published by the daily newspaper El Mercurio found 72 per cent of Chileans surveyed believe the government responded late and inefficiently to re-establish order after the earthquake. It also found 60 per cent of respondents believe aid delivery has been too slow and inefficient.

A mass led by the archbishop of Concepcion, Ricardo Ezzati, was held Sunday at the cathedral in Concepcion, Chile, to remember those killed during the country's Feb. 27 earthquake. (Kas Roussy/CBC)Officials initially said 802 people had died but now say 452 deaths have been confirmed. The toll was revised after it was discovered that in some areas people who were missing had been listed as dead.

Some half a million homes were destroyed by the 8.8-magnitude tremor and the tsunami that followed.

Meanwhile, the Chilean government is relaxing the curfew imposed in the disaster zone. Government officials hope that will help defuse some of the frustration building in the country.

The curfew was scaled back in Concepcion and Arauca provinces to run from 9 p.m. on Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday, and from 9 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday in Nuble and Biobio provinces, officials said.

The move gives people more time to stand in long lineups for groceries and other supplies. The lines at some of the stores on the edge of Concepcion appeared to be half a kilometre long, said CBC's Connie Watson.

Earlier in the week, authorities had been forcing people to return home at 6 p.m. and remain there until noon the following day in an effort to thwart looting.

With files from The Associated Press