An 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit Chile killing at least 82 people. Buildings collapsed, two-level car parks were flattened and cars were smashed. The earthquake is the biggest to have hit Chile for 50 years. The epicentre of the earthquake was in Copquecura, 500 kilometres from Santiago de Chile.
The streets of Santiago were full of people this morning who were refusing to return to their homes, fearing violent aftershocks. It is the last day of a public holiday in Chile and the clubs and bars of Santiago were full of people. In other areas residents are fearful of landslides and outbreaks of fire. May hospitals in Santiago have had to be evacuated because of structural damage.
A tsunami warning has been issued for Chile and Peru and then spread to the Antarctic region, Ecuador, Colombia, Central America, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific island nations. Large waves have been confirmed at Juan Fernandez Island, located in the Pacific, 670 kilometres off the coast of Chile, but the president of Chile Michelle Bachelet said, “There is no imminent risk of a major tsunami.”
President Bachelet said: “People should remain calm. We’re doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information [we have] we will share immediately.” She said that people living in low-lying areas of Easter Island are being evacuated to higher ground as large waves are predicted and if there are large aftershocks, people living in costal areas of Chile should also move inland.
Many of Chile’s news websites and radio stations are still inaccessible. Internet connections are still working, but not mobile phones. Santiago’s airport is shut and flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.
Chile sits on the edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where 80% of the world’s earthquakes occur. In 1960 the country suffered the largest earthquake in the 20th century when a 9.5 magnitude quake hit, killing 1,655 people.