A strong 8.2-magnitude earthquake has struck off the northwestern coast
of Chile, killing at least two people and setting off a small tsunami
that prompted evacuations along the country's Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique Tuesday evening. It was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 6.2-magnitude.
Chilean authorities said waves measuring about two meters were striking cities along the coast. Officials quickly ordered evacuations, warning that larger waves are expected later.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique Tuesday evening. It was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 6.2-magnitude.
Chilean authorities said waves measuring about two meters were striking cities along the coast. Officials quickly ordered evacuations, warning that larger waves are expected later.
Iquique's governor, Gonzalo Prieto, told a local radio station that two people are confirmed dead and at least three are seriously injured.
- There have been no reports of widespread damage. But Chile's emergency office said the earthquake has caused landslides that are partially blocking some roads and highways.
A tsunami alert has been issued for the entire Pacific coast of Central and South America.
- U.S. officials say they have found no imminent threat of a tsunami along the coasts of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington state after the earthquake near Chile, but the danger is still under evaluation.
- Chile is one of the world's most earthquake prone countries. In 2010, a 8.8-magnitude quake rocked central Chile, killing over 500 people and destroying 220,000 homes.
The region hit by Tuesday's quake had also experienced several smaller temblors in recent days, including a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Sunday.
[voanews.com]
2/4/14
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- M 8.0 - OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE .... 93 km NW of Iquique, Chile ....local time: 19:46....
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- M8.2 - 95km NW of Iquique, Chile
Event Time
- 2014-04-01 23:46:46 UTC
- 2014-04-01 18:46:46 UTC-05:00 at epicenter
- 2014-04-02 02:46:46 UTC+03:00 system time
Location
19.642°S 70.817°W depth=20.1km (12.5mi)Nearby Cities
- 95km (59mi) NW of Iquique, Chile
- 139km (86mi) SSW of Arica, Chile
- 190km (118mi) SSW of Tacna, Peru
- 228km (142mi) SSE of Ilo, Peru
- 447km (278mi) SW of La Paz, Bolivia
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A quake of 8.2 magnitude has struck off northern Chile, triggering a tsunami alert and killing at least five people......
ReplyDeleteThe US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 20:46 local time (23:46 GMT) about 86km (52 miles) north-west of the mining area of Iquique and was at a very shallow depth.
Waves of up to 2.1m (6ft) have hit some areas in Chile, and there have been power cuts, fires and landslides.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in affected areas.
Chilean TV broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people tried to leave.
Iquique Governor Gonzalo Prieto told local media that in addition to the deaths, several people had been seriously injured.
A number of adobe homes were reported destroyed in Arica.
The quake shook modern buildings in Peru and in Bolivia's high altitude capital of La Paz - more than 470km (290 miles) from Iquique.
At least eight strong aftershocks followed in the few hours after the quake, including a 6.2 tremor.
The tsunami warning in Chile will last at least until 08:00 GMT.
The Chilean interior ministry told the BBC that one of the main roads outside Iquique was cut off because of hillside debris.
The ministry says that partial landslides have also taken place between the towns of Putre and General Lagos................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26846984
2/4/14
Reducen alerta de tsunami en Ecuador y Colombia tras terremoto en Chile...
ReplyDeleteLa alerta de tsunami en algunos países de la región latinoamericana tras el terremoto que se registró en Chile ha ido disminuyendo conforme pasan las horas según las propias autoridades.
En el caso de Ecuador, el Instituto Oceanográfico de la Armada del Ecuador (Inocar) informó que de acuerdo al análisis realizado por los técnicos se esperan perturbaciones del nivel del mar de 10 a 20 centímetros en las costas continentales, mientras que en las costas insulares pueden llegar a 50 centímetros.
El presidente ecuatoriano, Rafael Correa, indicó que la alerta cambia de roja a amarilla, sin embargo, pidió estar atentos en el perfil costanero.
Por su parte, en Colombia, el presidente de ese país, Juan Manuel Santos, descartó que el sismo en Chile genere riesgo de tsunami. Esta afirmación la realizó el mandatario a través de su cuenta en la red social, Twitter.
Asimismo, en Guatemala, la Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (Conred), de ese país, informó que no hay alerta de tsunami para la costa guatemalteca, aunque sí para El Salvador, luego del sismo de 8.3 grados escala de Richter en Chile.
Un terremoto de 8,3 de magnitud impactó este martes el norte de Chile, generando una alerta de tsunami para las costas de los países de América Latina que colindan con el Océano Pacífico.
De acuerdo al servicio geológico de Estados Unidos, el movimiento telúrico se produjo a 83 kilómetros de la costa chilena. Las poblaciones cercanas a la zona han comenzado a ser evacuadas.
Hasta la fecha, ya van más de 400 temblores. En la zona norte de Chile, entre la ciudad puerto de Iquique y la pequeña localidad costera de Pisagua, la tierra no deja de moverse desde el 16 de marzo, cuando 100 mil personas fueron evacuadas hacia los cerros tras un temblor de 6,7 en la escala de Richter y una alerta preventiva de tsunami.
http://www.telesurtv.net/articulos/2014/04/01/disminuye-alerta-de-tsunami-en-algunos-paises-tras-terremoto-en-chile-3747.html
2/4/14
Chilean authorities say 5 confirmed dead following massive quake ...
ReplyDeleteA major earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami, causing landslides that blocked highways and leading to five deaths.
Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or were killed by heart attacks.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was shallow at 12.5 miles (20.1 km) below the seabed and struck about 100 km northwest of the mining port of Iquique near the Peruvian border.
The government said it had no reports of significant damage to coastal areas, but around 300 prisoners took advantage of the confusion and escaped from a female penitentiary in Iquique, Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said......http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Chilean-authorities-say-2-confirmed-dead-following-massive-quake-347240
2/4/14
Five Dead as Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake Hits Northern Chile ...
ReplyDeleteA strong 8.2-magnitude earthquake has struck off the northwestern coast of Chile, killing at least five people and setting off a small tsunami that prompted evacuations along the country's Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique Tuesday evening. Several aftershocks followed, including one measuring 6.2-magnitude.
Chilean authorities said waves measuring about two meters were striking cities along the coast. Officials quickly ordered evacuations, warning that larger waves are expected later.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo says at least five people died after being crushed by collapsing walls or experiencing heart attacks. He also said about 300 inmates escaped a woman's prison in Iquique. He said troops have been deployed to prevent looting.......http://www.voanews.com/content/five-dead-as-magnitude-82-earthquake-hits-northern-chile/1884375.html
2/4/14
Chile declares disaster in quake-hit regions...
ReplyDeleteChile has declared three northern regions hit by a 8.2 magnitude earthquake to be disaster areas.
At least five people are known to have died and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
The quake struck at 20:46 local time (23:46 GMT) about 86km (52 miles) north-west of the mining area of Iquique, the US Geological Survey said.
Waves of up to 2.1m (6ft) have hit some areas and there have been power cuts, fires and landslides.
The government said the declaration of a disaster in the Arica, Parinacota and Tarapaca regions was aimed at "avoiding instances of looting and disorder".
President Michelle Bachelet said the country had "faced the emergency well" and called on those in affected regions "to keep calm and follow instructions from the authorities".
She is due to visit the affected areas later.
Chilean TV broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people tried to leave the affected areas.
Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or died of heart attacks........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26847827
2/4/14