8.3-magnitude quake rattles north Chile, 1 million evacuate
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Version 0 of 1. ILLAPEL, Chile — Thousands of residents of this small city in northern Chile slept outside Thursday after a powerful earthquake destroyed their homes, forced more than 1 million people to evacuate nationwide and killed at least 10 people in the quake-prone South American nation. Several coastal towns were flooded from small tsunami waves set off by the late Wednesday quake, which shook the ground with such force that rumbles were felt across the continent.. The magnitude-8.3 quake lasted three minutes and prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the Andean nation’s entire Pacific coast. People sought safety in the streets of inland cities, while others along the shore took to their cars to race to higher ground. “I thought it was the end of the world and we were going to die,” said Manuel Moya, 38, sleeping with his wife on the ground outside their destroyed home in Illapel, 175 miles north of Santiago, the capital, and 34 miles east of the quake’s epicenter. The town and surrounding areas have about 35,000 residents. Speaking to the nation late Wednesday, President Michelle Bachelet urged people who had been evacuated to stay on high ground until authorities could evaluate the situation. In the past year, the nation of 17 million has endured devastating floods in the north, wildfires in the south and two volcanic eruptions. “Once again, we must confront a powerful blow from nature,” Bachelet said. Authorities said 10 people were killed, mostly in the areas closest to the epicenter. That number could climb as emergency crews reach hard-hit areas. Mahmud Aleuy, the Interior Ministry’s deputy secretary, said that 1 million people were forced out of their homes and that electrical power was cut off to 240,000 households. Dozens of aftershocks, including one at magnitude 7 and seven at magnitude 6 or above, shook the region after the initial earthquake — the strongest temblor since a magnitude-8.8 quake and tsunami killed hundreds in 2010 in south-central Chile. The quake was so strong that people in Buenos Aires, on the other side of the continent, felt it. People in Peru and Brazil also reported feeling the shakes. No injuries were reported outside of Chile. Claudio Moreno was in a Santiago bar when the quake hit. The shaking was powerful, but more worrisome was how long it lasted, he said. “We went out in the street when we felt it was going on too long,” he said. “It was more than a minute.” The 2010 quake killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes, and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts. That quake released so much energy that it shortened Earth’s day by a fraction of a second by changing the planet’s rotation. The quake had huge ramifications, both political and practical, prompting the Andean nation to improve its alert systems for quakes and tsunamis. — Associated Press |