A huge magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile early Saturday morning, leaving at least six people dead. Authorities expect more casualties as well as damage to buildings and outtages in power and telephone lines.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey the 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 a.m.).
The earthquake also triggered a tsunami pushing the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” the centre said on its website. “It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre and could also be a threat to more distant coasts.” Exact data on the size of the tsunami was not yet available.
Panicking crowds of people poured onto the streets of the city, hugging each other and crying.
An earthquake of magnitude 8 or more is considered as a “great” earthquake that can cause “tremendous damage,” according to the website of the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake that struck Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince in January was a 7.0 magnitude quake, while the one that caused devastation in Indonesia back in 2004 measured magnitude 9.2.
On May 22, 1960 a terrible magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck Chile killing over 1,500 people and leaving two million without a home. The resulting tsunami killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage to the west coast of the US.
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