‘People ran terrified after quake’

Five people are confirmed dead and three seriously injured when a major earthquake struck off the northern coast of Chile on Tuesday night. Sarah Toms reports.

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake has hit Chile's coast, sparking tsunami warnings for Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

Collateral damage ... A man stares at a restaurant burning after a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit off Chile's Pacific coast. Picture: Aldo Solimano Source: AFP

A STRONG magnitude-8.2 earthquake has struck off Chile's northern coast, causing widespread damage and setting off a tsunami alert that forced the night-time evacuation of coastal areas.

Five people have already been confirmed dead — either from heart attacks or being crushed by rubble — and three seriously injured in the natural disaster, which has prompted Chile's President Michelle Bachelet to declare the country's northern region a disaster zone.

The quake, which the US Geological Survey reported as 8.2 magnitude but Chile's National Seismological Centre put at 8.3, struck 99km northwest of the port city of Iquique at 8:46pm local time (10:46am AEDT).

The surrounding region has been rocked by numerous quakes over the past two weeks and was bracing for a tsunami in the early hours of the morning, with two-metre waves lashing some coastal towns as a prelude to a more dangerous surge.

However, all tsunami warnings were lifted about six hours after the quake struck. An evacuation order for coastal areas in Chile and neighbouring Peru is still in place for the time being.

Details of any damage caused by the major tremor are still scarce but it appears the region may have escaped relatively unscathed from what was a potentially catastrophic event.

"The fact is, we will know the extent of the damage as time goes by and when we inspect the areas in the light of day," Bachelet said early Wednesday morning. "The country has faced these first emergency hours very well."

On patrol ... the military have been called in to stop looting. Pic: Cristian Viveros. Source: AP

As it stands, Chile's military is sending a planeload of special forces to Iquique to guard against looting, an airport has been damaged and there have been several reports of fires breaking out.

In the nearby northern city of Arica, 1,609km north of the capital Santiago, the mayor reported some minor injuries and said some homes made of adobe were destroyed. Some 90 percent of customers had also been left without power.

"The street lights were busted, people ran terrified. After the earthquake there were several aftershocks," local Veronica Castillo told AFP.

Psychiatrist Ricardo Yevenes said he was with a patient when the quake hit. "It quickly began to move the entire office, things were falling," he told local television. "Almost the whole city is in darkness."

Some roads in the region were blocked by landslides, causing traffic jams among people leaving.

Complicating any government response to the quake in Chile were reports that 300 female prisoners had escaped. The armed forces is being used to track down the escapees but has so far recaptured less than 50.

"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 from the Iquique jail, so that the armed forces and police can coordinate and provide tranquility and security to the residents," Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said.

Epicentre ... the location where the quake struck. Source: Supplied

Residents in the port city of Antofagasta, which had been hit in a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010, immediately moved to higher ground as traffic piled up in some places.

"Many people are fearful after experiencing the powerful earthquake in 2010, so they immediately fled for higher ground when they heard the tsunami warning," Fabrizio Guzman, World Vision emergency communications manager in Chile, told CNN.

"There have been multiple aftershocks and communications have been cut off in many of the affected areas. So people are waiting in the dark hills not knowing what is to come, and hoping they will be able to return to their homes safely."

On the streets ... people react to the late evening quake in Chile. Source: Twitter

The major quake was felt around an extensive area, shaking modern buildings in nearby Peru and in Bolivia's high altitude capital of La Paz.

It was so strong that the shaking experienced in Bolivia's capital about 470km away was the equivalent of a 4.5-magnitude tremor, authorities there said.

Evacuations also were ordered in Peru, where waves two metres above normal forced about 200 people to leave the seaside town of Boca del Rio.

At least eight strong aftershocks followed in the first few hours, including a 6.2 tremor. More aftershocks and even a larger quake could not be ruled out, said seismologist Mario Pardo at the University of Chile.

Keeping close ... people looked for safety after the quake hit. Source: Twitter

A tsunami alert was initially issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for all of Latin America's Pacific coast and Chile's Emergency Office warned that a large tsunami wave was expected to hit Robinson Crusoe island and others in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, hundreds of miles off Chile's central coast, just before midnight local time.

The tsunami warning was later dropped for all countries, including Chile and Peru, and all other alerts were canceled.

Australia is not expected to feel the force of the tsunami.

In flames ... a fire burns in Iquique after the quake. Source: AP

Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, and a large earthquake has long been expected in the north of the country.

In February 2010, central and southern Chile were hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.8-magnitude followed by a tsunami that devastated dozens of towns.

The quake left more than 500 dead and caused $US30 billion in damage.

Cautious ... people sit on the street following the apowerful quake. Source: AFP

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

‘People ran terrified after quake’

Dengan url

http://segarasa.blogspot.com/2014/04/apeople-ran-terrified-after-quakea.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

‘People ran terrified after quake’

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

‘People ran terrified after quake’

sebagai sumbernya