Two specimens of the commonly known Mediterranean fruit fly have been found by Chilean phytsanitary authorities in the south of capital city Santiago.

A quarantine zone will be declared with a radius of 7.2 kilometres from the point where the two flies were found.

The Ceratitis capitatais fly, which is considered to be one of the world's most destructive fruit pests, fell in a trap that authorities commonly use to control pests and diseases.

Francisco Bahamondes, director of the Agriculture and Livestock Service (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero - SAG), claimed the pest was transported by contaminated fruit from a foreign country, as Chile qualified as a “country free of Mediterranean fruit fly”.

Bahamondes warned the illegal transport of fruit is the main cause of problem. “We have to intensify the controls on the frontier,” he added.

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