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| Chile quake: State of emergency declared for Coquimbo | Chile quake: State of emergency declared for Coquimbo |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Chile's government has declared a state of emergency in a central region struck by a powerful earthquake. | |
| One million people had to leave their homes and at least 11 people died when the 8.3-magnitude quake hit on Wednesday night. | |
| In the coastal town of Coquimbo, waves of 4.7m (15ft) hit the shore. Small tsunami waves hit as far away as Alaska. | In the coastal town of Coquimbo, waves of 4.7m (15ft) hit the shore. Small tsunami waves hit as far away as Alaska. |
| President Michelle Bachelet visited Coquimbo on Thursday. | President Michelle Bachelet visited Coquimbo on Thursday. |
| Tsunami waves also hit the coast further north and south of the quake's epicentre, with waves half a metre higher than usual as far north as La Punta. | Tsunami waves also hit the coast further north and south of the quake's epicentre, with waves half a metre higher than usual as far north as La Punta. |
| The quake - the strongest in the world this year - lasted for more than three minutes and there were dozens of aftershocks. | The quake - the strongest in the world this year - lasted for more than three minutes and there were dozens of aftershocks. |
| Gloria Navarro, who lives in the coastal town of La Serena, said people were "running in all directions". | Gloria Navarro, who lives in the coastal town of La Serena, said people were "running in all directions". |
| "Everything is a mess," restaurant owner Melisa Pinones told Reuters from the city of Illapel. "It was a disaster, a total loss." | |
| Across parts of central Chile, residents began clearing up on Thursday after what was the country's sixth most powerful recorded earthquake. | |
| Large parts of the sea front in the fishing village of Tongoy were destroyed, and more than 500 homes were badly damaged across the region, according to emergency response teams. | |
| Close to 90,000 homes remain without electricity. | |
| Emergency powers mean aid will reach Coquimbo quicker, and allow troops to be deployed on to the region's streets. | |
| President Bachelet paid tribute to people's response, saying that the death toll, "while unfortunate, was not very high considering the strength of the earthquake". | |
| The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor struck off the coast of Coquimbo, 46km (29 miles) west of the city of Illapel at 19:54 local time (22:54 GMT). | |
| The USGS said it was at a depth of 25km, while Chilean seismologists calculated its depth at 11km. | |
| Small tsunami waves were felt along the west coast of the US and Canada. A one-metre (3ft) wave also reached in Hawaii. | |
| The earthquake struck as thousands of Chileans were travelling to the coast ahead of a week of celebrations for independence day. | |
| President Bachelet said some of the official festivities would be cancelled. |