Chile Hit by Tsunami: At least Five Dead and 300 Female Prisoners Escape as Huge Waves Triggered by 8.2-Magnitude Quake Force Evacuations along Country's Entire Coast
- Quake struck at 8.46pm (00.46BST) on Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean
- Chilean officials say five people killed and many others seriously injured
- Coastal areas evacuated by authorities immediately after tremor struck
- 300 women inmates escape jail in city of Iquique near quake's epicentre
By Daily Mail UK,
UPDATED: 2 April 2014
Chile has declared a state of emergency after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off its northern coast, setting off a tsunami that forced evacuations across the country.
Five people were crushed to death or suffered fatal heart attacks, a remarkably low toll for such a powerful shift in the Earth's crust.
The extent of damage has not yet been fully assessed, President Michelle Bachelet said, but she sent a military plane with 100 anti-riot police to join 300 soldiers deployed to prevent looting and round-up escaped prisoners.
The shaking caused landslides that blocked roads, knocked out power for thousands, damaged an airport and provoked fires that destroyed several businesses.
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Fire: Firefighters try to extinguish a fire on a restaurant by the sea shore after a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake
hit off Chile's Pacific coast in Iquique. A tsunami warning has been issued for Chile, Peru and Ecuador
Effects: A man stares at a burning restaurant close to the sea shore after the quake
Dramatic night: A fire burns at a restaurant after an earthquake in Iquique, Chile, Tuesday night
A fire sends smoke billowing into the night sky in the city of Iquique, 60 miles from the earthquake's epicentre
About 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison in the city of Iquique.
Around 40 of the women were soon recaptured after Chile's military sent a planeload of special forces to the area, the country's investigative police said.
In Arica, another city close to the quake's offshore epicentre, hospitals treated minor injuries, and some homes made of adobe were destroyed, authorities said.
Interior minister Rodrigo Penailillo announced the five deaths.
Ms Bachelet's government extended its tsunami warnings for northern-most Chile long after they were lifted elsewhere.
Rescue: An elderly person is evacuated from a shelter after a tsunami alarm
at Anto***asta city, north of Santiago on the southern Pacific coast, April 1, 2014
Help: The major earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck off the coast of Chile
on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country
A woman is taken away in a wheelchair at a petrol station after the quake
struck at a depth of six miles, 83 kilometres from Iquique on Chile's northern coast
Evacuation: A group of people evacuates towards a high zone due to
a Tsunami alert after an 8.2 Richter scale earthquake in Valaparaiso, Chile
Terror: Thousands pour into the streets after tremors rocked their homes in the port city of Anto***asta
Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect until nearly dawn for coastal areas north of Antofogasta, a decision backed by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.
Geophysicist Gerard Fryer said: 'We regard the coast line of Chile as still dangerous, so we're maintaining the warning.'
Ms Bachelet, who just returned to the presidency three weeks ago, spoke well after midnight, five hours after the quake struck at 8.46pm local time yesterday (00.46am BST today).
It was not lost on many Chileans that the last time she presided over a major quake, days before the end of her 2006-10 term, her emergency preparedness office prematurely waved off a tsunami danger.
Waiting: Residents wait on a street in Anto***asta, Chile, after an earthquake hits, causing a small tsunami
Nerves: People embrace on the upper floor of an apartment building located a few blocks from the coast
where they gathered to avoid a possible tsunami after an earthquake in Iquique, Chile
Scared: Locals gather on the street following a tsunami alert after a powerful
8.0-magnitude earthquake hit off Chile's Pacific coast, on April 1, 2014 in Anto***asta
Deaths: Locals gather on the street following the earthquake that left at least five dead
Shock: People in the Chilean town of Iquique prepared to flee their
homes after an earthquake off the coast led to tsunami warnings across Latin America
Fear: Locals in Iquique stand in the street after the tsunami alert was issued for Chile, Peru and Ecuador
Nowhere to go: Families in Anto***asta sit in the street after being told to leave their homes
Most of the 500 dead from that magnitude-8.8 tremor survived the shaking, only to be caught in killer waves
in a disaster that destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away large parts of many coastal communities.
'The country has done a good job of confronting the emergency. I call on everyone to stay calm and follow the authorities' instructions,' she tweeted after the latest quake.
When she finally addressed the nation, she said Mr Penailillo would monitor the tsunami threat throughout the night and co-ordinate the emergency response.
'Classes have been suspended, and we will be able to know the extent of the damage in the light of day,' she added.
The tsunami warning centre cancelled tsunami watches for areas other than northern Chile and southern Peru.
Military vehicles patrol through Iquique after landslides blocked roads, knocked out power
for thousands, damaged an airport and sparked fires that destroyed several businesses
Ushering them to safety: A fireman helps evacuate people in Valaparaiso, Chile
Location: The earthquake struck near the coastal city of Iquique, in the northern region of Chile
Powerful: A graphic predicting the force and direction of the tsunami created by the earthquake
Danger zone: A graphic forecasting the travel time of the tsunami to coastal areas around the Pacific Ocean
Quake: A map shows the location of the powerful magnitude earthquake, around 61 miles from Iquique
Far reaching: The effects of the powerful quake were noted by a seismic station in Alaska
The only US impact might be higher waves for Hawaii's swimmers and surfers, it said.
The US Geological Survey initially reported the quake at 8.0, but later upgraded the magnitude of the quake that struck 61 miles north west of Iquique.
More than 20 significant aftershocks followed, including a 6.2 tremor. More aftershocks and even a larger quake could not be ruled out, said seismologist Mario Pardo at the University of Chile.
The quake was so strong that the shaking experienced in Bolivia's capital about 290 miles away was the equivalent of a 4.5-magnitude tremor, authorities there said.
Chile President Bachelet reacts to massive 8.2 earthquake
Ready to take 'any measures': Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (centre) declared
'Emergency Zone' in the regions of Arica and Parinacota in the northern part of the country
Chaos: There were scores of people lining the streets Tuesday night after the quake shook the region
Waves: Lights illuminate the coast after an earthquake in Iquique
Flooded: View of the local Casino flooded after the powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit
Quake: The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), 83 kilometers from
Iquique on Chile's northern coast, the United States Geological Survey said
Frightened residents in some towns posted videos and pictures on Twitter as they spilled out of their homes following the quake to head for safer areas inland.
One woman, Javiera Mora Araya, who lives in the Chilean coastal city of Chañaral tweeted an image of her neighbours fleeing their homes and heading into the streets after the tsunami warning was issued.
Lengthy queues of traffic quickly formed as families headed inland, while others in Iquique took refuge in the city's stadium.
Refuge: Local people take refuge inside Iquique's city stadium after fleeing their homes
Shelter: A mother comforts her two children inside the stadium
No major injuries: There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage on shore, but warnings for people to flee to higher ground and advisories were issued for coastal areas up South and Central America's huge Pacific coast
Some roads in northern Chile were blocked by landslides, only exacerbating the jams among people leaving the coast. But coastal residents remained calm as they head inland while waves measuring almost 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) struck their cities.
As well as damaged homes, pictures emerged of a burning restaurant and a partially destroyed church.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries because just off the coast, the Nazca tectonic plate plunges beneath the South American plate, pushing the towering Andes to ever-higher altitudes.
The latest activity began with a strong magnitude-6.7 quake on March 16 that caused more than 100,000 people to briefly evacuate low-lying areas.
Hundreds of smaller quakes followed in the weeks since, keeping people on edge as scientists said there was no way to tell if the unusual string of tremors was a harbinger of an impending disaster.
WHEN THE EARTH MOVED:
WHY THE CHILEAN COAST IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO EARTHQUAKES
The largest earthquake recorded in modern times hit off the coast of Chile on May 22, 1960, and had a magnitude of 9.5
It killed around 1,655 people, injured 3,000, left 2million homeless and caused half a billion dollars worth of damage.
Tsunami waves reached heights of 38ft (11.5m) and carried the remains of shattered homes as far as two miles inland.
The earthquake was thought to have triggered an eruption two days later of Volcan Puyehue, which raged for several weeks sending steam and ash four miles into the air.
A magnitude-8.8 quake and ensuing tsunami in central Chile in 2010 killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes, and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.
The region is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes as it sits on the boundary between the Nazca plate and South America plate in the earth’s crust.
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