Earthquake Shakes Chile
Earthquake Shakes Chile
02 March 2010At 3 a.m. on Saturday the 27th of February, an earthquake that reached 8.8 on the Richter scale tore through the coast of Chile.
So far it has been reported that that the smaller coastal towns of Talcahuano, Concepcion, as well as the capital city, Santiago, have been the worst affected by the quake. Many of the older buildings, built before or shortly after the earthquake that hit Chile in 1960, have been destroyed by the quake and follow up aftershocks.
The regions of Maule and Biobio have been declared "states of catastrophe" by the Chilean government. The destruction of power lines, roads, buildings, bridges and public property have made things very difficult for local authorities to address the damages.
A curfew has been ordered for these two regions from 21:00 - 06:00. The Chilean police have been struggling to stop looters and desperate survivors from pillaging damaged shopping centers and grocery stores.
Rescue workers are still working around the clock, digging through the rubble for trapped survivors. The death toll thus far has been in excess of 700 people, and this number is expected to rise as the debris is cleared. So far no British casualties have been recorded, although some British nationals are yet to make contact with the embassy or their families.
A Pacific wide Tsunami Alert was issued over the weekend. Japan, Hawaii, the east coast of Australia and Tahiti were amongst the countries on high alert. The tsunami warning has since been lifted.
Information and advice for travellers who are due to depart for Chile or are already in any quake affected area of the country can be found on the Chile Earthquake Travel Advice page.
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