Huge 8.8-magnitude quake hits Chile - USGS

 

SANTIAGO, Chile

Sat Feb 27, 2010 3:18am EST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck near the coast of south-central Chile early on Saturday, shaking buildings and causing blackouts in parts of the capital Santiago, 200 miles away.

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A tsunami warning was issued for Chile and Peru by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.

Soon after, the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the Chilean coast near the epicenter.

The USGS said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 34 miles at 3:34 a.m./1:34 EST. Its magnitude was initially reported at 8.3 then 8.5.

An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over is classified as a "great" earthquake that can cause "tremendous damage," according to the USGS website. The earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on January 12 was rated at magnitude 7.0.

According to a 2002 census, Concepcion is one of the largest cities in Chile with a population of around 670,000. The quake knocked out power in nearby coastal areas.

People streamed onto the streets of the Chilean capital, more than 200 miles north of the epicenter, hugging each other and crying, a Reuters witness reported. Buildings shook and there were blackouts in parts of the city.

The Reuters witness reported very strong shaking lasting for 10 to 30 seconds.

A national emergency official told local radio the government was evaluating damage in and around Concepcion.

The quake struck far from Chile's copper-producing northern region. Chile is the world's biggest producer of copper, its main export, producing about 34 percent of world supply of the metal, which is used in electronics, cars and refrigerators.

In 1960, Chile was hit by the world's biggest earthquake since records dating back to 1900, USGS data shows. The 9.5 magnitude quake devastated the south-central city of Valdivia, killing 1,655 people and sending a tsunami which battered Easter Island 2,300 miles off Chile's Pacific seaboard and continued as far as Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.

anyone has news about Lore? :(

:(....*prays for the safety of all *

she was in Buenos Aires for the Coldplay concert, but I don't know if it will affect her travel home

anyone has news about Lore? :(

thx ian for the update

anyone has news about Lore? :(

 

I talked to her on twitter last night. She's in BA until next week. She was trying to contact family to check on them. Phone service limited and people were still out on the streets fearing aftershocks.

Oh bloody shit I hope her family is doing well :(

Poor Lore. :sad: Poor everyone down there.

 

:hug:!!

I think she lives in Santiago... the Earthquake affected mainly a city called Concepción. Or so I heard on the news.

I hope Lore and her family are ok...

I'm watching CNN at the moment, it's terrible.

Lore said her family is all OK. She's in BA until Thursday and hopes the airport in Chile will be reopened by then.

Lore said her family is all OK. She's in BA until Thursday and hopes the airport in Chile will be reopened by then.

 

Good!

 

Some good family friends are in Chile right now, my parents are freaking out.

And Tsunami warnings in the pacific.

thanks for the comments guys, I'm fine here in BA, my family is ok but I can't call home and they are not there (a cousin told me they called and said on the 1st floor because we live in the 4th floor)

 

the electricity is not working and same with phones, it was big in santiago but it was bigger in another city, I can't believe when I see some buildings I know are destroyed

 

and about my flight back, im very worried, the airport suffered some damage and it will be closed for the next 3 days and I'm supposed to leave in 5 days

 

Earthquakers are common in chile but we've had nothing like this in at least 30 years

 

we are watching a chilean tv channel on internet live stream, and it's a bit shocking

@Lore- thank God you are ok and its so wonderful to hear from you. I am glad to hear your fam is ok as well... Pictures on tv are devastaing and I can't even imagine the destruction of tsunami! The coast looks like it was hit by a 7ft wave! :( I hope you can get home to your fam soon...

 

estoy resando por usted, su familia y su pais, que esten con Dios! xoxoxxo *hug*

 

anyone know if Ren is still in Chile? I know its been forever since we've 'spoken' spoken, but I remember him living there at one time.... :(

 

This is why I love the Coldplaying community... we are able to meet and speak to people from all around the world. And even though we may not speak to everyone on a frequent basis... I know a lot of you have build a strong bond/relationship with other members here... and thats the beautiful thing about this forum. Instantly when I heard of this news I thought of you, Lore... :( I wish I really could give you a hug.. :(

@Lore- thank God you are ok and its so wonderful to hear from you. I am glad to hear your fam is ok as well... Pictures on tv are devastaing and I can't even imagine the destruction of tsunami! The coast looks like it was hit by a 7ft wave! :( I hope you can get home to your fam soon...

 

estoy resando por usted, su familia y su pais, que esten con Dios! xoxoxxo *hug*

 

anyone know if Ren is still in Chile? I know its been forever since we've 'spoken' spoken, but I remember him living there at one time.... :(

 

This is why I love the Coldplaying community... we are able to meet and speak to people from all around the world. And even though we may not speak to everyone on a frequent basis... I know a lot of you have build a strong bond/relationship with other members here... and thats the beautiful thing about this forum. Instantly when I heard of this news I thought of you, Lore... :( I wish I really could give you a hug.. :(

I think Ren is in Peru, not sure if he lives near the coast since Peru was included in the tsunami warnings. :(

i heard it was affecting the airport service.

 

i hope everyone from there are OK and the services start to work fine again soon.

 

good to know you and family are fine Lore :hug:

Intenta mantenerte en contacto Lore, y si necesitas algo o hay algo en loq ue te podemos ayudar, ya sabes que aqui estamos :kiss: :nice: Cuidate mucho, ojala y pronto puedas hablar con tu familia :hug:

 

So many places are getting Tsunami warnings, this is so scary :wreck:

Latest news from Yahoo.com

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/quake_tsunami

 

Tsunami warning center cancels alert for Hawaii

 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has canceled its tsunami warning for Hawaii, with the state apparently escaping the roiling waves unscathed.

 

Gov. Linda Lingle says no damage has been reported in any county. Tidal surges were observed Saturday along the coasts but did not roar ashore. She's calling it "a great day now that it's over."

 

 

CHILE STRUCK BY ONE OF THE STRONGEST EARTHQUAKES EVER

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_chile_earthquake

 

By ROBERTO CANDIA and EVA VERGARA, Associated Press Writers Roberto Candia And Eva Vergara, Associated Press Writers – 44 mins ago

 

TALCA, Chile – One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded tore apart houses, bridges and highways in central Chile on Saturday and sent a tsunami racing halfway around the world. Chileans near the epicenter were tossed about as if shaken by a giant, and authorities said at least 214 people were dead.

 

The magnitude-8.8 QUAKE was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil — 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) to the east. The full extent of damage remained unclear as scores of AFTERSHOCKS — one nearly as powerful as Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake — shuddered across the DISASTER-PRONE ANDEAN NATION.

 

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "STATE OF CATASTROPHE" in central Chile but said the government has not asked for assistance from other countries. If it does, President Barack Obama said, the United States "will be there." Around the world, leaders echoed his sentiment.

 

In Chile, newly built apartment buildings slumped and fell. Flames devoured a prison. Millions of people fled into streets darkened by the failure of power lines. The collapse of bridges tossed and crushed cars and trucks, and complicated efforts to reach quake-damaged areas by road.

 

At least 214 PEOPLE were KILLED, according to Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma, and officials said about 1.5 million homes suffered at least some damage.

 

In Talca, just 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the epicenter, people sleeping in bed suddenly felt like they were flying through major airplane turbulence as their belongings cascaded around them from the shuddering walls at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST, 0634 GMT).

 

A deafening roar rose from the convulsing earth as buildings groaned and clattered. The sound of screams was confused with the crash of plates and windows.

 

Then the earth stilled, silence returned and a smell of moist dust rose in the streets, where stunned survivors took refuge.

 

A journalist emerging into the darkened street scattered with downed power lines saw a man, some of his own bones apparently broken, weeping and caressing the hand of a woman who had died in the collapse of a cafe. Two other victims lay dead a few feet (meters) away.

Also near the epicenter was CONCEPCION, one of the country's largest cities, where a 15-story building collapsed, leaving a few floors intact.

 

"I was on the 8th floor and all of a sudden I was down here," said Fernando Abarzua, marveling that he escaped with no major injuries. He said a relative was still trapped in the rubble six hours after the quake, "but he keeps shouting, saying he's OK."

 

Chilean state television reported that 209 inmates escaped from prison in the city of Chillan, near the epicenter, after a fire broke out.

 

In the capital of Santiago, 200 miles (325 kilometers) to the northeast, a car dangled from a collapsed overpass, the national Fine Arts Museum was badly damaged and an apartment building's two-story parking lot pancaked, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms rang incessantly.

 

While most modern buildings survived, a bell tower collapsed on the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church and several hospitals were evacuated due to damage.

 

Santiago's airport was closed, with smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and destroyed pedestrian walkways in the passenger terminals. The capital's subway was shut as well, and transportation was further limited because hundreds of buses were stuck behind a damaged bridge.

 

Chile's main seaport, in Valparaiso about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Santiago, was ordered closed while damage was assessed. The state-run Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, shut two of its mines, the newspaper La Tercera reported.

 

The jolt set off a TSUNAMI that swamped San Juan Bautista village on Robinson Crusoe Island off Chile, KILLING AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE and LEAVING 11 MISSING, said Guillermo de la Masa, head of the government emergency bureau for the Valparaiso region. He said the huge waves also damaged several government buildings on the island.

 

It then raced across the Pacific, setting off alarm sirens in Hawaii, Polynesia and Tonga and prompting warnings across all 53 nations ringing the vast ocean.

 

Tsunami waves washed across Hawaii, where little damage was reported. The U.S. Navy moved a half-dozen vessels out of Pearl Harbor as a precaution, Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said. Shore-side Hilo International Airport was closed. In CALIFORNIA, officials said a 3-foot (1-meter) surge in Ventura Harbor pulled loose several navigational buoys.

 

About 13 million people live in the area where shaking was strong to severe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS geophysicist Robert Williams said the Chilean quake was hundreds of times more powerful than Haiti's magnitude-7 quake, though it was deeper and cost far fewer lives.

 

More than 50 AFTERSHOCKS topped magnitude 5, including one of magnitude 6.9.

 

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. It caused a tsunami that killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage along the west coast of the United States.

 

Saturday's quake matched a 1906 temblor off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded in the world.

 

Associated Press writer Roberto Candia reported this story from Talca and Eva Vergara from Santiago. AP writers Eduardo Gallardo in Santiago and Sandy Kozel in Washington contributed to this report.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/quake_tsunami

 

 

I started the thread "Chile earthquake" after having looked at the first pages of New Posts. When finding nothing about the Chile earthquake there, I started the "Chile earthquake" thread not knowing that there already was a thread about the CHILE earthquake - sorry.

 

 

@ LORE: SO PLEASED TO HEAR FROM YOU THAT YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE OKAY. You were in my thoughts as soon as I read the word of "CHILE" in the "Chile earthquake" headline. I have been wondering how you were doing - glad that at least you had a wonderful Coldplay concert experience Saturday/Sunday before the earthquake disaster and resulting worries about family and friends and how to get back as the airport had to be closed for several days.

Am I the only one who's not just a little disappointed by the lack of a 70-story tidal wave hitting Hawaii? It always happens in the movies whenever there's a black president.

thanks for the comments guys, I'm fine here in BA, my family is ok but I can't call home and they are not there (a cousin told me they called and said on the 1st floor because we live in the 4th floor)

 

the electricity is not working and same with phones, it was big in santiago but it was bigger in another city, I can't believe when I see some buildings I know are destroyed

 

and about my flight back, im very worried, the airport suffered some damage and it will be closed for the next 3 days and I'm supposed to leave in 5 days

 

Earthquakers are common in chile but we've had nothing like this in at least 30 years

 

we are watching a chilean tv channel on internet live stream, and it's a bit shocking

lore :(....i thought to you and your family....i give you a big hug..it's terrible:cry:

Hopes and prayers for Chileans and people in all affected regions. God bless you!

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN CHILE AND ARTICLES IN RELATION TO CHILE EARTHQUAKE ON 28 FEBRUARY 2O1O

 

BBC WORLD NEWS:

 

CHILE QUAKE AFFECTS TWO MILLION, SAYS PRESIDENT BACHELET

 

Two million people have been affected by the massive earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday, President Michelle Bachelet has said.

 

In a TV address, she said the forces of nature were testing the nation.

 

So far at least 300 people have been confirmed killed in the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Saturday.

 

The 8.8 quake - one of the biggest ever - triggered a tsunami that has been sweeping across the Pacific, although waves were not as high as predicted. "The forces of nature have badly affected our country," Ms Bachelet said.

 

"And once again they've put to the test our ability to deal with adversity and get back on our feet. And we are examining every way to restore all the basic services in the country. But there's still a lot to do.

 

Ms Bachelet added that she had declared a state of catastrophe in six regions.

Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes, being situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the Pacific and South American plates meet.

 

The earthquake struck at 06:34 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago at a depth of about 35km. It is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.

 

Widespread damage to roads and buildings has been reported in many areas, including the capital where a chemical plant caught fire.

 

Electricity, water and phone lines have been cut.

 

At least 85 people died in the region of Maule alone, journalists there reported.

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

 

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

 

Rescue teams are struggling to reach Concepcion because of damage to infrastructure, national media reported.

 

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

 

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

 

Santiago international airport's terminal was damaged and will be closed for at least 72 hours, officials said. Flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.

 

A tsunami triggered by the earthquake struck the Juan Fernandez island group off the Chilean coast and local media say five people died there with several others missing.

 

As the tsunami radiated across the Pacific, Japan warned that a wave of 3m (10ft) or higher could hit the Pacific coast of its northernmost island of Hokkaido at about 1300 local time (0400 GMT).

 

In French Polynesia, waves 6ft (1.8m) high swept ashore, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

 

Hawaii later lifted its tsunami warning after waves measuring just under 1m (3ft) high struck but caused no damage.

 

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

 

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

 

In Washington, President Barack Obama said the US was ready to help if the Chilean government required it.

 

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.

I heard the number of victims (deaths) could rise to nearly 400 people. That's really fucked up. :\

Earthquake hits CHILE / News on 28 February 2010

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 28 FEBRUARY 2010

 

Danish TV2: Tsunami alert now lifted

 

Danish TV2: 320,000 people were evacuated in Japan. There have been up to 120 cm high tidal waves in Japan. The Eastern part of Russia was hit by waves, but the waves were not so violent as feared.

 

Danish DR1: 115 POWERFUL AFTERHOCKS IN CHILE

1.5 million houses and buildings have been destroyed. There are no reports of people killed due to powerful aftershocks. The USGS encourages the people living in the most affected areas to sleep outdoors and not in extremely damaged buildings.

 

Swedish SVT Text: More than 400 dead in the earthquake in Chile. More than 2 million affected by the earthquake. 115 powerful aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.9 and 6.9 on the Richter scale according to US Geological Surveys (USGS).

 

Swedish SVT Text: THE TOWN OR CITY OF CURICÓ IN RUINS.

Curicó south of the capital Santiago dates back to 17xx. 90% of the Curicó’s historical buildings have been levelled corresponding to 60% of Curicó according to a reporter from Radio Estacion Uno de Curicó. As many as 50 people died in the province.

 

Swedish SVT Text and Danish DR1 and TV2:

Hundred people captured under the rubble of a 14-storey or 15-storey building (collapsed apartment block) in Concepcion situated in southern Chile which suffered severe damage in the quake. Concepcion’s mayor criticizes Chile’s government for a too slow response to Saturday’s disaster.

 

Swedish SVT Text: The situation in the coastal town of Constitucion between Concepcion and Santiago / Valparaiso is unknown. There have been rumours of the situation there being critical after being hit by “an 8 m tall wave according to Tercera.