An almost unbelievable earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday, killing at least ten people and producing the collapse of numerous buildings, as well as spreading fear of tsunamis on the Pacific coast.
Here is a map with tsunami stations in ‘event mode’
An AFP correspondent said buildings “shook like jelly“.
Santiago was plunged into darkness, with telephones down and power and communication systems disrupted. People in pyjamas fled onto the streets.
The tremor shook buildings in the Chilean capital, where many people were still awake when the quake struck at 3:34 am (0634 GMT), carrying on their Friday night partying in restaurants and clubs.
President Michelle Bachelet said six people were killed and that more deaths were possible, as the US government reported aftershocks in Chile measuring 6.2 and 5.6.
“I can say about what we know thus far … there were six fatalities in the area of Maule and one in the region of Araucania, but with the quake of this magnitude, we cannot rule out other casualties.” Ms Bachelet said.
A tsunami warning was issued for Chile and Peru by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.
Soon after, the centre said the quake had generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the Chilean coast near the epicentre.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” the centre said on its website.
“It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre and could also be a threat to more distant coasts.”
It did not have details on the size of the tsunami.
CNN Chile president Rolando Santos, in Santiago, says the shaking was so violent, he was knocked out of bed and onto the floor.
“It was pretty clear because of the length of the earthquake that it was going to be a major earthquake. The city almost immediately went dark … everything went black,” he said.
“And the earthquake lasted … 45 seconds to almost a minute. I’ve been through some quakes in San Francisco and this was one of the worst.”
The earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on January 12 was rated at magnitude 7.0.
Chile is located in an active seismic zone and has had devastating quakes in the past including the biggest tremor of the 20th century. In May 1960, the country was ravaged what is now known as Valdivia or Great Chilean Earthquake, which was rated 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.
The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, reaching as far as eastern New Zealand and southeast Australia.
The estimated death toll from that disaster ranged from over 2,200 to 5,700.
The quake magnitude reading is based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale which is used by US seismologists and measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.
Updates: Number of victims already got to 1676300, according to Chile’s president Michelle Bachelet.
Updates2: Santiago Airport in Chile is now saying that it’ll be closed for 72hours, as opposed to 24 hours before. Airport terminal is in bad shape
Sunday, 28th of February
- 260 prisoners managed to escape after the earthquake put down one of the prison’s wall. 60 of them are still lose.
- After the earthquake, disasters seem to never end in Chile. A fire erupted at a chemical factory near Santiago. More neighbourhoods had to be evacuated.
- Many people died while sleeping, surprised by the quake. Over one and a half million homes suffered damage, and 500 000 from these were destroyed.
