Massive earthquake strikes Chile, chile disaster earthquake

Massive earthquake strikes Chile, chile disaster earthquake::

A massive earthquake has hit central Chile and killed at least 122 people, though the toll is expected to rise.

The 8.8 quake caused widespread damage, destroying buildings, bridges and roads in many areas, including the capital where a chemical plant caught fire.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in affected areas and appealed for calm.

A tsumami set off by the quake has triggered warnings in Pacific countries from Japan to New Zealand.

Sirens warned people to move to higher ground in French Polynesia and Hawaii.

map

Detailed map of quake

The earthquake struck at 0634 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago. It is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.

Official figures said 34 people had died in the region of Maule, but local journalists said the total there was likely to rise to 85.

Deaths were also in reported in the regions of Santiago, O'Higgins, Biobio, Araucania and Valparaiso.

Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera, who is due to take office next month, put the overall death toll at 122, adding that it could rise.

National television said it estimated that at least 150 people had been killed.

Aftershocks

Television pictures showed a major bridge at Concepcion had collapsed into the Biobio river.

Rescue teams are finding it difficult to reach Concepcion because of damage to infrastructure, national television reported.

POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES
Haiti, 12 Jan 2010: About 230,000 people die after shallow 7.0 magnitude quake
Sumatra, Indonesia, 26 Dec 2004: 9.2 magnitude. Triggers Asian tsunami that kills nearly 250,000 people
Alaska, US, 28 March 1964: 9.2 magnitude; 128 people killed. Anchorage badly damaged
Chile, south of Concepcion, 22 May 1960: 9.5 magnitude. About 1,655 deaths. Tsunami hits Hawaii and Japan
Kamchatka, NE Russia, 4 Nov 1952: 9.0 magnitude

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In Santiago, where at least 13 people were killed, several buildings collapsed - including a car park where dozens of cars were smashed.

A fire at a chemical plant in the outskirts of the capital forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.

Damage to Santiago international airport's terminal will keep it closed for at least 72 hours, officials said. Flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.

President Bachelet said: "People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have."

Ms Bachelet said a "wave of large proportion" had affected the Juan Fernandez island group, reaching halfway into one inhabited area. Three people there are missing, local media say. Two aid ships are reported to be on their way.

One resident of Chillan, 100km from the epicentre, told Chilean television the shaking there lasted about two minutes.

Other residents of Chillan and Curico said communications were down but running water was still available.

Many of Chile's news websites and radio stations are still not accessible.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the US was monitoring the situation, adding: "We stand ready to help [Chile] in this hour of need."

A car is seen under a pile of rubble in Vina del Mar after the Chilean earthquake
Buildings collapsed over an extensive area

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at a depth of about 35km.

It also recorded at least eight aftershocks, the largest of 6.9 magnitude at 0801 GMT.

The USGS said tsunami effects had been observed at Valparaiso, west of Santiago, with a wave height of 1.69m above normal sea level.

One journalist speaking to Chilean national television from the city of Temuco, 600km south of Santiago, said many people there had left their homes, determined to spend the rest of the night outside. Some people on the streets were in tears.

Chile is highly vulnerable to earthquakes as it is situated on the Pacific "Rim of Fire", on the edge of the Pacific and South American plates.

Chile suffered the biggest earthquake of the 20th century when a 9.5 magnitude quake struck the city of Valdivia in 1960, killing 1,655 people.

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