Chile Shaken By 8.8
Magnitude Earthquake, At Least 52 Killed
SANTIAGO - At least 52 people have
died in a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake
that struck southern Chile early Saturday,
knocking out power and driving
panic-stricken people into the streets.
President Michele Bachelet declared a "state
of catastrophe" and said the death toll
would rise.
"Without a doubt, with an earthquake of this
magnitude, there will be more deaths," the
president said.
The earthquake struck 320 km southwest of
Santiago at a depth of 59.4 km 3:34 a.m.
(0634 GMT), according to the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS).
The epicenter was only 115 km from
Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city with
a population of 200,000 people.
A Xinhua reporter said that, when the
earthquake struck, he felt his house shaking
and heard a squeaky sound for nearly 40
seconds. Shortly after that, electricity was
disrupted and everything fell into darkness.
Telecommunications also were disrupted, with
almost all telephone and mobile phone
services down, the reporter said.
Many people in the neighborhood ran out to
the street and waited to see what to do.
Helicopters were seen hovering in the air.
Witnesses said some buildings collapsed,
many others were damaged, bridges suffered a
lot of damage, cars overturned. |
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