Strong Quake in Chile, Six Dead
A strong earthquake measuring 8.8 on Richter scale shook and damaged central Chile in the morning, with tremors felt for a minute and a half setting off a tsunami, reported Associated Press.
As a consequence of quake, buildings collapsed, phone lines and electricity were down and it was difficult to assess the damage, report said.
Six people died in the quake, according to the Chile government, and the toll is expected to soar up, said report.
Citing the US Geological Survey, report said that the quake hit 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Santiago, and at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT; 1:34 a.m. EST).
Epicenter of the quake was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake, said report.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Chile and Peru, and a less-urgent tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica, said report.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts,” the center was quoted as saying.
The US west coast tsunami warning center said it did not expect a tsunami along the west of the US or Canada but was continuing to monitor the situation, report said.
