A massive 8.3 magnitude quake followed by a series of aftershocks has rocked the Chilean coastline, shaking houses and forcing people to evacuate into the streets as authorities issued tsunami warnings for the area.
17 September 2015
Death toll of the earthquake in Chile has risen to ten, Chilean Interior Minister Jorge Burgos said at a press conference, La Nacion reports. He said that the life in the affected area is going back to normal and called on the population to calm down, ruling out fuel and food delivery interruptions. He added that it was one of the 30 most powerful earthquakes in the world history.
Chile cancels tsunami warning following Wednesday’s 8.3 quake and multiple aftershocks.
"The tsunami warning has been lifted for all the national territory," the government's National Emergency Office said in a tweet.
ONEMI has canceled Tsunami warnings for the Island of San Felix and Juan Fernandez Archipelago in addition to the regions of Los Rios, Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes. However, the rest of the coastline remains under tsunami alert.
President Bachelet has declared a "disaster area in the town of Choapa," according to Chilean Deputy Interior Minister, Mahmud Aleuy.
Chilean Deputy Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy says that "President Bachelet has declared [a] disaster area in the town of Choapa."
Authorities have identified the five people that fell victim to the quake:
- Lissette Araya Silva, 35, who died following the collapse of a roof.
- Jofre Gloria Victoria, 20, who died following a rockslide.
- Luis Damaris, 67, who died in Van Buren Hospital cardiac arrest.
- Renato Salazar Diaz, 91, who died in the city of Maipú from cardiac arrest.
- Humberto Fernandez, 81, who died of cardiac arrest in Valparaiso.
Some 186,000 customers are without power in the Coquimbo region, ONEMI reports.
Meanwhile, new footage shows residents in Vina del Mar evacuating.
Another aftershock has been recorded near Ovalle, Chile, this time one of 6.2 magnitude. This brings the total number of aftershocks recorded by the USGS to 15.
Video footage captured by Chilean CCTV shows the moment of impact in Santiago.
Chilean Interior Minister Jorge Burgos is heading to ONEMI to monitor the situation, as the national Congress was evacuated from the city of Valparaiso, local media reports.
More video footage of people reacting to the earthquake in Chile.
According to the latest from the National Tsunami Warning Center, waves from the quake will first reach the coast of Newport Beach in California at 4:46 am local time. It warned that currents may be “hazardous” to swimmers, boats and coastal buildings.
Chile has lifted tsunami warnings in the regions of De Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes.
The Chilean transportation company Tur Bus suspended bus trips in the northern part of the country, while confirming that services to the south operate normally.
A photo of some of the damage in Canela Baja, Chile.
ONEMI, Chile's national emergency office, now reports that 5 deaths have been confirmed and more than 1 million people evacuated.
Two more aftershocks have been recorded in Chile by the USGS. A 6.4 magnitude tremor struck near Illapel, while a 4.9 magnitude quak hit near Ovalle.
This brings the total number of aftershocks to 14.
New footage shows what the look looked and felt like in an office building in Santiago, Chile at the moment of impact.
Chilectra, a Chilean electricity company, reports that 28,612 customers are affected in Región Metropolitana.
New footage shows the scene inside a supermarket at the time of the earthquake. Viewers can see the lights flicker on and then off, as well as shaking store shelves and products falling to the floor.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said that, so far, 3 people are confirmed dead after the earthquake, local ADN Radio reports.
On its Twitter page, the Chilean government cited President Michelle Bachelet and said that it is assessing the information to see whether it warrants a state of emergency declaration.
The Ministry of Civil Defence of New Zealand urged people living in eastern areas of the country to stay away from beaches and the shoreline, claiming that if a tsunami did hit it would likely be soon after midnight Friday local time.
Authorities are proceeding to evacuate people from coastal towns, includng 8,000 from Constitución, 1,500 from Llico, 200 from Boyeruca, 1,700 from Pelluhue and some 600 from Lipimavidad, according to the latest data from the National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry.
In Constitución, authorities have managed to evacuate people from the hospital and the prison.
Chile's national emergency office has suspended Tsunami Warnings in the Aysen and Magallanes Regions. The rest of Chile's coastline remains under alert.
The Ministry of Education reported that classes will be suspended Thursday morning in the regions of Atacama and Valparaíso.
Authorities from the Region de Los Ríos also took the same measure, suspending classes for the areas of Corral, Mehuín and the coastal area of Valdivia.
More footage from Chile in the wake of the earthquake.
Police are “guarding supermarkets to restore calm" and prevent possible looting,” Captain Oscar Plantain, spokesman for the Illapel Police Department told reporters.
Chile's National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry says it has cancelled the Tsunami Warning for the Magallanes Region only. Alerts for the rest of the national coastline remain, as the office is urging people not to return to their homes until they are told to do so.
Coquimbo Mayor Cristian Galleguillos told CNN Chile the city was starting to see flooding and that 95 percent of the city had lost electrical power. Residents had evacuated before waves started hitting the coastline, he said.
Honda Racing Corporation team driver Jeremias Israel reported seeing a landslide off Highway 5 in Chile following the earthquake.
A tsunami advisory alert has been issued for Southern California by the National Tsunami Warning Center.
Waves as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters) have struck the coast of Coquimbo, Chile, according to Reuters.
A Yellow Alert has been declared for the Copahue Volcano after the strong earthquake, Chile's national emergency office announced.
Two more aftershocks have been reported -- magnitude 5.2 and 5.6 -- off the coast of Illapel, Chile, according to the USGS.
This brings the total number of aftershocks to 12.
Video has surfaced showing people rushing to evacuate a local store following the earthquake.
Tsunami waves have hit parts of the country, Director of the National Emergency Office of the Interior Ministry Ricardo Toro confirmed to the Associated Press. He warned that more waves might soon descend, once again urging people who live on the coast to “evacuate their homes” and get to higher elevation -- at least 30 meters above sea level.
An 86-year-old man in Maipú has died from a heart attack in the midst of the strong quake, Mayor Christian Vittori told the press, bringing the total confirmed death toll to two people.
At least seven people are now being treated at a hospital in the city of Illapel, according to the governor of the Region of Coquimbo, Claudio Valles.
The scene, post-quake, in a Coquimbo grocery story.
Ten aftershocks have been reported on or near the coast of Chile in the wake of the first earthquake, according to the USGS. Five of them have registed above 6.0 magnitude, while five have been at magnitude 5.0 or higher.
Hawaii remains under a tsunami advisory, but no major event is expected in the state anymore, according to the National Weather Service.
More footage of flooding in Concon.
Power and communications were reportedly knocked out throughout central Chile, while Santiago’s international airport briefly halted operations as a precaution.
Images have surfaced reportedly showcasing some of the damage that has occured in Chile.
More footage has surfaced, from a local news station, of flooding in Chile.
At least one person was killed and some 15 injured in the northern town of Illapel, near the epicenter of the strong earthquake, the city’s mayor reportedly said.
"One person died because a brick wall fell in a restaurant. It is said to be a woman. There are between 12 and 15 wounded," Mayor Denis Cortez told Radio Cooperativa, according to El Comercio.
A video of flooding in the streets of Concon, Chile has surfaced.
Chilean authorities have declared a Red Alert nationwide, caused by the high intensity earthquake and the tsunami warning.
Coquimbo, Chile saw a maximum wave height of over 5 meters as the first waves reached land, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center noted.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Chilean Emergency Service have observed tsunami waves hitting the Chilean coastline after the powerful earthquake and a number of aftershocks.
The PTWC reports that tsunami waves reaching more than 3 meters are possible along some parts of the coast.
Tsunami waves 1 to 3 meters high are also possible along parts of the coasts of the French Polynesia.
The PTWC recommended that government agencies “inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk.”
Water has also been observed rushing into the streets in Concon, Chile.
A tsunami more than 10 feet high has reportedly been observed in Coquimbo, Chile.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre says there is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.
There are reports of damages to homes in the city of Illapel, Chile, Interior Minister Jorge Burgos told reporters.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning center says that tsunami waves may impact Hawaii as early as 3:06 am local time, stating that “this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter.”
It added that an investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii.
A flash flood warning has also reportedly been issued for Hawaii's Big Isle.
So far there have been five aftershocks total. Four of them have been above 6.0 magnitude and another one was over magnitude 5.0.
Sea levels near Coquimbo, Chile are fluctuating drastically.
In Brazil, many people on social networks reported that they also felt a slight tremor. There are also reports coming from São Paulo, Santos, Campinas, Belém, São Luís and Pouso Alegre (MG). Firefighters from Sao Paulo received 50 calls from people who felt the quake, UOL News International reports.
In Argentina, internet users reported tremors in the cities of Santa Fe, Mendoza and Buenos Aires.
This video shows the sirens going off in Chile at the time of the quake.
About 20 minutes after the main earthquake, two magnitude 6.2 and 6.4 aftershocks hit the region, according to the USGS.
Video has emerged of the scene in the streets of Chile following the quake.
The National Emergency Office (ONEMI) is urging the coastal population to evacuate “calmly” to security zones.
The Chilean Emergency Operations committee is holding a meeting to address the consequences of the earthquake.
“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters … widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible,” the Warning Center said, adding that greatest danger was for Chile and Peru.
16 September 2015
The quake, which had originally been estimated as a magnitude 7.9, occurred at 7:54pm local time, 55 kilometers west-northwest of Illapel, and 232 kilometers north-northwest of Santiago, the USGS reported. Its epicenter center was located at a depth of 33 kilometers.