| BBC News | - |
A
quake of 8.2 magnitude has struck off northern Chile, triggering a
tsunami alert and killing at least five people. The US Geological Survey
said the quake struck at 20:46 local time (23:46 GMT) about 86km (52
miles) north-west of the mining area of Iquique.
Five Dead as Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake Hits Northern Chile
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Five Dead as Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake Hits Northern Chile
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April 02, 2014
A strong 8.2-magnitude earthquake has struck off the northwestern
coast of Chile, killing at least five people and setting off a small
tsunami that prompted evacuations along the country's Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique Tuesday evening. Several aftershocks followed, including one measuring 6.2-magnitude.
Chilean authorities said waves measuring about two meters were striking cities along the coast. Officials quickly ordered evacuations, warning that larger waves are expected later.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo says at least five people died after being crushed by collapsing walls or experiencing heart attacks. He also said about 300 inmates escaped a woman's prison in Iquique. He said troops have been deployed to prevent looting.
Though there have been no reports of widespread damage, Chile's emergency office said landslides are partially blocking some roads and highways. Thousands also experienced power outages, while others were forced to spend the night outside.
A tsunami alert has been issued for the entire Pacific coast of Central and South America.
U.S. officials say they have found no imminent threat of a damaging tsunami along the coasts of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington state, but the danger is still under evaluation.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake prone countries. In 2010, a 8.8-magnitude quake rocked central Chile, killing over 500 people and destroying 220,000 homes.
The region hit by Tuesday's quake had also experienced several smaller temblors in recent days, including a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Sunday.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique Tuesday evening. Several aftershocks followed, including one measuring 6.2-magnitude.
Chilean authorities said waves measuring about two meters were striking cities along the coast. Officials quickly ordered evacuations, warning that larger waves are expected later.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo says at least five people died after being crushed by collapsing walls or experiencing heart attacks. He also said about 300 inmates escaped a woman's prison in Iquique. He said troops have been deployed to prevent looting.
Though there have been no reports of widespread damage, Chile's emergency office said landslides are partially blocking some roads and highways. Thousands also experienced power outages, while others were forced to spend the night outside.
A tsunami alert has been issued for the entire Pacific coast of Central and South America.
U.S. officials say they have found no imminent threat of a damaging tsunami along the coasts of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington state, but the danger is still under evaluation.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake prone countries. In 2010, a 8.8-magnitude quake rocked central Chile, killing over 500 people and destroying 220,000 homes.
The region hit by Tuesday's quake had also experienced several smaller temblors in recent days, including a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Sunday.
Five Dead as Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake Hits Northern Chile
2 April 2014 Last updated at 00:41 ET
Tsunami alert after 8.2 quake strikes off Chile
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Thousands left their homes after the warning was issued, as Alpa Patel reports
A quake of 8.2 magnitude has struck off northern Chile, triggering a tsunami alert and killing at least five people.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 20:46 local
time (23:46 GMT) about 86km (52 miles) north-west of the mining area of
Iquique.Waves of up to 2.1m (6ft) have hit some areas in Chile, and there have been power cuts, fires and landslides.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in affected areas, where a state of emergency has been declared.
Chilean TV broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people tried to leave.
Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or died of heart attacks.
Iquique Governor Gonzalo Prieto told local media that in addition to those killed, several people had been seriously injured.
While the government said it had no reports of significant damage to coastal areas, a number of adobe homes were reported destroyed in Arica.
A fire broke out at a restaurant on the shore at Iquique
Chileans on the coast evacuated to higher ground
Streets across Peru and Chile were deserted following the tsunami alert
Hundreds of thousands of Chileans are
spending the night away from their beds because of the evacuation order,
which remains in effect for northern Chile
The quake shook modern buildings in Peru and in Bolivia's high altitude capital of La Paz - more than 470km (290 miles) from Iquique.
At least eight strong aftershocks followed in the few hours after the quake, including a 6.2 tremor.
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Kurt Hertrampf, Hostel owner, AricaDowntown looks like a ghost town”
The Chilean interior ministry told the BBC that one of the main roads outside Iquique was cut off because of hillside debris.
The ministry says that partial landslides have also taken place between the towns of Putre and General Lagos.The interior minister also told Chilean TV that some 300 women inmates had escaped from a prison in Iquique. The authorities are reported to have deployed a planeload of special forces to guard against looting.
Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said President Michelle Bachelet was being kept informed. She is to travel to the affected area.
"We have taken action to ensure public order in the case of Iquique, where we've had a massive escape of more than 300 female prisoners, so that the armed forces and police can coordinate and provide security to the residents," he said.
'A big one' The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (TWC) issued an initial warning for Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.
However, all warnings, watches and alerts were later lifted except for Chile and Peru.
"Everyone along our coast should be alert and ready," Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said on Twitter.
Ecuador later reduced its alert but maintained a high level of vigilance for the Galapagos Islands.
High waves hit parts of the Chilean coast within 45 minutes of the quake. Pisagua, Patache and Iquique all saw big waves.
"We have asked citizens to evacuate the entire coast," Chilean home office minister Mahmud Aleuy said.
Evacuations were also ordered in Peru, where waves 2m (6.5ft) above normal forced about 200 people to leave the seaside town of Boca del Rio near the Chilean border, police said.
People take refuge in the Chilean coastal city of Antofagasta
"But this earthquake, even with the increased distance, seemed to last a lot longer," Patrick Moore said.
"I was just sitting on my bed and normally these tremors using last at the very longest about 40 seconds - this one felt like it lasted about two minutes.
"I knew it was bad so I immediately went online to see what had happened and saw a tsunami warning that's been put in place which confirmed my fears that it was a big one."
Kurt Hertrampf, a hostel owner in Arica, told the BBC there was a big blackout in the town after the quake and he was surprised the telephone line was still working. He added: "Downtown looks like a ghost town."
The area close to the epicentre is mineral rich, but none of the major copper companies reported any break in production.
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Geologist Patrick Moore in the Atacama Desert: "I was lying on my bed and the room was shaking"
Central and southern areas of the country were hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.8 magnitude quake followed by a tsunami that devastated scores of towns in February 2010.
In 1960 an area of Chile south of Concepcion was hit by a 9.5 magnitude which caused about 1,655 deaths and a tsunami in Hawaii and Japan.
The 9.0 magnitude quake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 caused a devastating tsunami and left more than 15,000 people dead, with more than 3,200 missing.
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