| |
| Situation Update No. 4 Ref.no.: EQ-20100227-25098-CHL
Situation Update No. 4
On 2010-02-27 at 10:17:43 [UTC]
Event: Earthquake
Location: Chile Región del Maule 42 km W Cauquenes
Number of Deads: 17 person(s)
Situation: A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, reportedly killing 17 people, triggering a tsunami and rattling buildings in the capital Santiago. Local radio said 17 people were killed and President Michelle Bachelet confirmed six deaths, saying more were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making a quick damage assessment difficult in the early morning darkness. "Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it's like the end of the world," one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles (35 km) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT). Local television stations said there was damage to buildings in the historic center of Santiago, which lies about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicenter, and a highway bridge collapsed near the capital. In the moments after the quake, people streamed onto the streets of the capital, hugging each other and crying. There were blackouts in parts of Santiago and communications were still down in the area closest to the epicenter. Bachelet urged people to stay calm. "With a quake of this size we undoubtedly can't rule out more deaths and probably injuries," she said. An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause "tremendous damage," the USGS says. The quake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 was rated magnitude 7.0. |  | | | |
This blog offers a compilation of recent news and world events given by RSOE-Emergency and Disaster Information Service, Reuters News Agency, BBC News , CNN International and Al Jezeera News
